


And They Were Roommates

by justcourtee



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Daminette - Relationship - Freeform, F/F, F/M, M/M, Soulmates, Tumblr: maribat-2k20
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:53:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 54,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25740127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justcourtee/pseuds/justcourtee
Summary: When Marinette and her two best friends lose their roommate late into their senior year of college, things couldn't look more drastic. Luckily for them, a mysterious student applies to fill the spot for the rest of the year and they hastily accept without a second thought. If only they had known what they were getting themselves into to....
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 104
Kudos: 369





	1. Chapter 1

Marinette doodled on her wrist, tuning out the professor in favor of annoying her soulmate. She was working on the third flower when a faux cough caught her attention. She dropped her pen, flashing her professor a warm smile, as she propped her chin on her hand.

“Am I boring you Ms. Dupain-Chang?”

“Quite the contrary Professor Lupez, the history of the Mexican-American War is riveting, but if I may, I believe you are reviewing the wrong War with our finals approaching next week.”

The professor raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms to stare down the French girl.

“And which war do you feel we should be covering?”

“You hardly touched on the Korean War and dismissed any questions we might have had on the subject, it will be on the final right?”

Sighing, the professor turned back to the board writing ‘Korean War’ in large letters, tossing the chalk on her desk with more force than necessary.

“Since it is our final review day, I will entertain you this one time Ms. Dupen-Chang, but believe me when I say, I will not miss our little interactions when the semester ends.”

“I would expect nothing less.”

Marinette smirked as she picked up her pen to jot down a few notes, peeking a look at her wrist in the process.

_“Got caught again? Good. Pay attention in class.”_

Her smirk widened as she rolled her eyes. The man always knew what to say, such the romantic. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Marinette began counting down the minutes until her final class ended. After all, American History was the least of her worries and with less than a week till her first final, she’d much rather be at the apartment studying anything else but this.

The clock had just hit the fifty mark and students were already out of their seats, Marinette along with them.

“Ms. Dupain-Chang, a moment please?”

She let out an involuntary groan as she made her way down to the front of the class. Professor Lupez was finishing packing her bag, not paying one mind to Marinette as she bounced from foot to foot, eager to leave. Finally, she took her seat, crossing her arms to look at the girl.

“Have you reconsidered Marinette?”

“Professor Lupez, I adore history, I really do. But it’s not something I want to do for the rest of my life, designing is, and I’m really good at it.”

“It’s your second to last semester Marinette, you’ll be graduating in the spring. You’ve taken enough history credits to satisfy your minor in history and you’re three credits away from having a double major. Would you at least consider that? I hate to see someone with your obvious love and affiliation of the topic not even consider it.”

Marinette let out a sigh, twirling a loose strand of hair.

“I’ll consider it Professor Lupez, but I want to finish my business degree and look into a major in business, not history.”

The professor simply nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“That’s all I wanted to hear. I hope to see you in the spring Marinette,”

“I thought you were going to be so glad to rid yourself of our little interactions.”

“Please,” Lupez rose, collecting her bag in the process. “No other student has been able to rival my knowledge. It would be a shame to never see you again.”

Marinette turned to leave, a smile growing across her face.

“You as well Professor Lupez.”

… … … … … … … … … … …

The jingle of keys in the doorknob caught her attention as she looked up from her notes in time to see Chloe fall through the door, dropping a multitude of shopping bags in the process.

“Is this your way of preparing for finals?” A smile tugged at Marinette’s lips as she watched the blonde adjust her hair in the mirror beside the door.

“Dupain-Chang, it’s called retail therapy. Finals are the most stressful part of college and a girl needs to be ready to look fabulous to cover the stress wrinkles.”

She shuttered, sending Marinette into a fit of giggles. Standing up from the couch, she waded through her textbooks to pick up the nearest bag. Together, the two of them managed to make it to their shared room in one trip. As the blonde began to unpack, she blindly threw a shirt in Marinette’s direction.

“What’s this Chloe?”

“Don’t be dull Dupain-Chang,” she rolled her eyes as she pulled out another shirt, examining it closely before slipping it on a hanger. “It’s a new shirt that didn’t fit me how I wanted it to, but I bought it anyway because it should look decent on you.”

“I’m touched.” Marinette wiped a non-existent tear from her eye, holding up the shirt to examine it.

She opened her mouth, only to be cut off by the sound of the front door slamming shut. The two girls shared a grim look before they made their way across the hall, standing in front of Adrien's door, the light sounds of destruction echoing from inside.

“Adrikins? You okay in there?”

There was silence before the sound of shuffling feet made their way to unlock the door. He pulled it open to reveal red and puffy eyes. Chloe pushed her way inside, dragging him to the bed with her while Marinette leaned against the doorframe, assessing the damage he had done. All the pictures of him and David were torn up and scattered across the floor, David’s scarf laid in different spots, ripped in two, strands of yarn fraying outward.

“David broke up with you?”

Adrien nodded softly, falling into Chloe’s outstretched arms.

“Well he’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous then.”

“No, he’s not, he just found his soulmate, that’s all.” Adrien’s voice cracked as he inhaled sharply, trying to stop a new wave of tears.

Marinette sighed, joining the two on his bed, rubbing his back lightly as she and Chloe both shook their heads. The three of them had been attending Metropolis University for the past four years and every year, Adrien fell quickly and deeply in love with a guy only for them to leave just as fast, leaving him a broken mess.

“I guess we should put out for a new roommate then.”

He sat up stiffly, his eyes darting between the two girls as if daring them to argue. Chloe threw her hands up in the air, letting out a defeated sigh.

“If you’re so sure Adrikins. Mari and I can deliver him his stuff, you just get some rest. We’ll order your favorite take out and be back in an hour or so.”

He nodded, falling backward on his bed, lost in thought. The two girls stood up, making their way to David’s old room, collecting a few stray boxes on the way.

“This is ridiculous Dupain-Chang. We need a no partner roommate policy. This is the third roommate we’ve replaced since January, all of them breaking Adrikins heart, it is unacceptable, utterly unacceptable.”

The girl just nodded as she pulled David’s suitcase out from the closet, packing his clothes as tightly as she could. Chloe continued to ramble on as the girls filled box after box.

“-and where does David plan on going? Is he just going to move in with his soulmate and hope he’s not a serial killer? That is stupid! I mean seriously, how stupid is this boy? I thought he was in the honor college?”

Marinette just shook her head, picking up a nearby pen, tossing the cap into the trash can.

_“Can’t write much tonight. Threat Level Heartbreak”_

Tossing the pen into the trash as well, Marinette stood, gathering the two closest boxes.

“Let’s call David and figure out where to drop this stuff off. We’ll put out the roommate ad later tonight.”  
… … … … … … … … … … .  
Around midnight, Marinette shifted from under Adrien and Chloe, causing the two to fall into each other on the couch, neither waking. She pulled the blanket over her friends, turning back to clean up the mess they had made. She threw away the take out containers, reaching for the empty ice cream when she felt the familiar tingle on her arm.

_“I have waited the appropriate amount of time, correct? Threat resolved?”_

A small smile threatened to take over her whole face as she tossed the empty containers. Setting the trash bag outside their apartment door, she pulled out the pen holding her hair together.

_“Threat resolved. Surprised you’re still up_.”

The previous statement disappeared from her arm, a new one beginning to etch in its place.

_“Wanted to make sure you survived, I know the complexity of that threat.”_

She let out a quiet chuckle, leaning down to pick up the spoons scattered across the coffee table. Moving to the sink, she gently scrubbed away her marks, uncapping the pen to respond.

_“I think I’m getting better at it. Easier and faster each time.”_

Letting the water run, she washed the few dishes, placing them on a towel to dry.

_“Your friend should make better partner choices.”_

“Hell yeah, he should,” Marinette mumbled under breath as she ejected the Titanic disk, placing it in its case before turning off the TV. Moving to the bathroom, she ran her toothbrush under the water, placing it in her mouth before washing her arm again.

_“Definitely.”_

She just finished brushing her teeth when the tingling caught her attention once more.

_“Get some sleep Angel”_

Her ears burned from the nickname he insisted on calling her. She always hated when the twenty-four hours had passed and the ink faded on its own. Washing away the ink was always a quick and effective way to communicate, but if she wanted to leave a message, she left the spot alone and her soulmate would be marked for a full twenty-four hours before the message disappeared.

_“Will do mon amour. Goodnight”_

Crawling into her bed, Marinette pulled out her phone, sending a quick email to the University Newsletter to request a spot for the roommate ad.

“What do you think Tikki? Can we manage to get a roommate that will last at least one full semester?”

Tikki flew from the doll mansion that Chloe had insisted on buying for their kwamii’s. Something about living in comfort and luxury is better for their powers? Honestly, Marinette didn’t care, as long as Tikki and Pollen were happy, so was she.

“I think it’s something you shouldn’t worry about right now Marinette. After all, your first final is in less than a week, the less stress the better.”

Marinette nodded, placing her phone on it’s charging pad, settling into her pillow.

“You’re right Tikki, after all, I made some extra commission money this month, making rent should be easy, even without a roommate.”

The kwamii nodded, placing a light kiss on her chosen’s forehead, watching as the girl drifted off to sleep.

“Sleep well Marinette.” Tikki flew back to the dollhouse, settling into their own bed, careful not to wake Pollen. Within minutes, the kwamii was asleep.

A tingling threatened to wake the sleeping girl, but she was too tired to open her eyes to check. In perfect script, four words etched their way into her skin while she slept, something that happened every night after her soulmate was sure she was asleep.

_“I love you Angel”_

And just as quickly, the confession disappeared. Three years of writing to each other and neither would admit it, but they both knew. They had both fallen for peop _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _le they had never met.______________________


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette woke to the piercing ring from her alarm clock. With a groan, she blindly hit her nightstand, trying to find the snooze. 

“Marinette! If you snooze, you’ll be late again! Professor Brookes may like you, but she did threaten that one more tardy to the meetings and you’ll be fired!”

Tikki pulled at a strand of Marinette’s hair trying to pull the girl from her bed. 

“Tikki it’s just five more minutes, please!” 

“Dupain-Chang, Tikki wanted to wake you the nice way but if you don’t get your ass out of bed in the next five seconds, I will dump a cup of ice down your shirt.”

Marinette’s eyes flew open as she sat straight up, scowling at the sight of Chloe and Tikki high-fiving. 

“I hate you two.”

“Mhm, now go shower. You look and smell like you just wrestled with pigs.”

Chloe’s nose scrunched up as she threw a towel at the girl. Marinette rolled out of bed with a heavy sigh, trudging to the bathroom. 

“Chloe, will you pick me out an outfit?”

“Already done, now hurry up!”

Turning on the water, Marinette noticed the dark ink covering her skin. A beautiful robin stretched from her wrist to her elbow, every last detail drawn with care. She sucked in a sharp breath as she allowed her fingers to trace over the artwork. As she stepped into the shower, her eyes never left the picture, scared her soulmate would erase it before she had a chance to photograph it for later inspiration. 

Turning off the water, she wrapped her towel around her body tightly before racing back to her room, almost diving for her phone. Her tongue stuck out of her mouth from the pure concentration of capturing the art at the right angle. Once she was sure it was photographed properly, she fumbled for the pen on her nightstand. 

_“I love waking up to your artwork, would you mind leaving it for the day?”_

She stared intently at her hand, waiting for his response that couldn’t seem to come fast enough. 

“Dupain-Chang! If you want a ride, you better be dressed in the next five minutes!”

Chloe’s voice echoed through the apartment, snapping Marinette out of her trance. Within three minutes, she pulled on the dress Chloe had laid out and managed to pull her hair back in a messy bun, sticking a pen through it just in case. She was working on the heels when she finally felt the tingle. 

_“Sorry Angel, important interview today. I’ll leave you something tomorrow though. Promise”_

Marinette let out a defeated sigh, but tried to push it out of her mind. After all, she couldn’t be mad, he had a life too, one he didn’t want to publicize and she could respect that. Putting the final touches on her outfit, she grabbed her purse, leaning down beside the dollhouse to allow Tikki to fly in. 

“Dupain-Chang!”

“Coming Chloe!”

Tikki let out a giggle as Marinette rolled her eyes. It was going to be a long day. 

… … … … … … … 

“Ms. Dupain-Chang, can I see you in my office please?”

Marinette internally groaned as she plastered a smile on her face. She picked up her design book, throwing a cover over the mannequin before she turned to walk toward the professor’s office. 

“What can I do for you Professor Brookes?” Her smile was sickly sweet as she stared down at the woman. 

“Sit, please.” Brookes didn’t even look up from her paperwork, just made a vague gesture to the seat in front of her desk. After several minutes, she finally looked up, making a show of clicking her pen shut. 

“Do you know why I called you in Marinette?”

“Because you were lonely and wanted someone to talk to?”

She offered the woman a pity smile, but Professor Brookes was not having it.

“You have refused every offer I have arranged for you in the past three months. Marinette, what did I tell you when you accepted this position in my work field for young entrepreneurs?”

Marinette let out a sigh, her eyes falling to the ground. 

“It’s easier to work under a big name and break away than it is to build your own empire. But Professor-”

“Exactly. So tell me, why exactly have you refused not only Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld, but now I hear that Audrey Bourgeois has been after you for years now and you’ve refused her as well!”

Marinette bit her lip, trying her best to level her breathing before she snapped at the woman. 

“With all due respect Professor Brookes, they don’t want my name on the designs. I can’t make a name for myself if everyone else is taking credit for my work. If there’s any way you can find me an internship under someone who will let me be myself I’d be more than glad to take them on.”

It was Professor Brookes turn to sigh as she slipped off her glasses, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“You’re a talented girl Marinette, nobody is denying that. But you just don’t understand how the business world works. This work field is for entrepreneurs who will listen to my advice, not do everything in their power to ignore it.”

“I understand if you want me to relinquish my position Professor Brookes. I’m sure you could fill it easily.” 

The professor looked up, her face unreadable as she stared down the designer. Several minutes passed and a sinking feeling began to settle in Marinette’s gut. 

“Ms. Dupain-Chang, what you’re asking me to do is to find you a sponsor. They’ll put their good name on the line for you, allow you to take credit for your work, and in return you’ll give them a portion of your profit. That’s anywhere from 5%-25% depending on how the sponsor operates. If I do this for you, you are going to have to up your production levels from one outfit a week to three, which means you’ll need to be here for three days instead of just one. Is this something you really want?”

Marinette’s heart pounded in her chest as she felt her body flood with relief. 

“It is. I really want a sponsor.”

“Then it’s settled, I’ll need you to complete a portfolio including pictures of models wearing your designs and at least three test designs that I can send to possible contenders. The test designs allow them to view your work up close and personal to look at stitchwork and such. I’m assuming you already have models in mind seeing as you live with two of them?”

Marinette nodded, her heart feeling as if it were about to explode with joy. 

“I won’t let you down Professor Brookes.”

The designer stood hastily, practically running back to her workstation. 

“I’ll need all of that before the first day of spring semester Marinette!”

The professor’s voice echoed in her ears but she was too stunned to care. She was getting a real chance and that meant she had to put everything into the next month. Sitting on the spinning chair, Marinette pulled out her phone to view the picture she had taken earlier. Admiring his sketch, an idea began to form in her head as she cleared the workstation, laying out her various pencils. 

After a couple minutes of sketching, her phone began to buzz. At first she ignored it, trying to focus on her design, but after the third time, she finally gave in. 

“Chloe, I’m sorry, I know I said 3 but it’s looking like 5 or 6 instead, I finally got the break I was hoping for.”

“Well that’s great Dupain-Chang, but you see, I have a guy here responding to the ad placed this morning and I just wanted to ask if we could interview him without you.”

Marinette sat down her pencil, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. She distinctly remembered emailing Julia for the spot, but she never sent in the ad. So either Julia’s newest boyfriend was applying or someone from the news team was.

“He’s not dating Julia is he?”

“I don’t know, let me ask. Hey! You! You’re not dating Julia, right? No? He said no.”

Marinette shook her head as she looked up at the ceiling, trying her best to send apologies to the boy. 

“So?”

“Go ahead Chloe, that’s assuming you haven’t chased him off already. I’ll be ready to go in an hour.”

“Great, you’re the best. Congrats on your break, I’ll order some food from that Italian restaurant near our apartment to celebrate.”

Before Marinette could even respond, the line went dead, leaving her to stare at her sketchbook in slight despair. The poor guy would be scared senseless before she even got a chance to meet him. With a sigh, she returned to her sketch, determined to finish at least one design before she left for the day.

… … … … … … … … … . .

Marinette waved bye to Professor Brookes before she made her way up the stairs to her apartment. She had texted both Chloe and Adrien several times, but neither came to pick her up, something she was going to lay into them for. 

“Hey guys what’s the deal-”

She stopped in her tracks as her eyes couldn’t process the sight in front of her. Adrien was playing Ultimate Mecha Strike V, but that wasn’t the problem. No, the problem lied in the fact that some guy she had never seen before was battling him using her lucky controller. 

“Hey Mari! Meet Damian Al Ghul, our new roommate!”

The guy stood up, offering his hand, but Marinette’s eyes weren’t focused on his. Instead, she watched in horror as he tossed her control backward onto the couch, the force sending it flying to the floor.

“Damian huh?” She pushed past his outstretched hand to pick up her controller, examining it for any cracks or chips in the paint job.

“Yes?” He moved his hand to awkwardly rub the back of his neck, trying to figure out what he had done wrong.

Marinette sent a sour look at Adrien who only shrugged. 

“Damian is a double major as well Mari, history and business, sound familiar?”

“I hear you are quite competent in both subjects.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, setting her controller on the coffee table before standing to face the man.

“I’m more than ‘competent’, I excel in both with a perfect 4.0 GPA.”

Damian scoffed sending a wave of fury through the girl. Just who did this guy think he was? Adrien watched the interaction, amusement clearly written on his face. 

“So Mari, you want to play the winner of this round?”

“No, thanks. I’m going to study. My first final is on Tuesday, just ask Chloe to leave my food in the microwave, I’ll get to it later.”

Without another word, she marched back to her bedroom, shutting the door harder than she meant to. She pulled out her sketchbook, opening it to her unfinished design from earlier. Her pencil hovered over the page as she tried to remember the feeling she had earlier. 

“Tikki, how did I manage to let him get under my skin in less than five minutes?”

She let out a groan as she fell backward onto her bed as the kwamii let out a giggle. 

“He’s got a unique personality, very straightforward Marinette. He almost reminds me of Chloe when I first met her.”

“That has to be it. PTSD from when I was 13 and Chloe was still a menace. I just don’t think I’m going to be able to get back into this design tonight.”

“That’s okay Marinette, let’s work on the last essay for your Grad school application!”

Marinette sat up to reach for her laptop, pulling up her browser that never closed. The Metropolis University website was still up, her application reading 95% complete. She clicked on the textbox and attempted to zoom in on the final question that had been bugging her for a week now. 

‘How will you use your education to benefit the world?’

“Why does my degree have to benefit the world Tikki? I just want to do something I love, can’t that just be enough?”

“You’ll think of something Marinette, you always do!”

“Yeah,” the girl huffed out a puff of air, leaning forward to reread the question for the hundredth time. “I always do.”

… … … … … … … … …

Around 10:30, Chloe stumbled into their room, tearing through her closest.

“Marinette, come clubbing with me and Adrikins! He needs a distraction for the night or two if you know what I mean.”

She let out a giggle as she pulled out her favorite dress, not even bothering to shut the bedroom door before throwing off her top. 

“Chloe! We’re living with another guy now!”

“Yeah yeah Mari, you’re the only straight one here so there’s no problem!”

“Just because you’re not straight, doesn’t mean he can’t oogle at you.”

Chloe stood up, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the girl. 

“Oogle? How old are you? 75?”

Marinette rolled her eyes as she stood up to pull her dress over her head. With her help, Chloe finished touching up her makeup. 

“So you gonna come with us?”

Marinette shook her head at her, earning a pout from the blonde. 

“Boo, you and Damian are both lame.”

Picking up her clutch, she opened it long enough for Pollen to fly in before shutting it tight. 

“You losers have fun tonight staying home.”

“I think I’ll just barricade myself in here instead.”

“Whatever.”

Adrien appeared in their doorway, equally tipsy as he offered Chloe his hand. Marinette watched with worry as they made their way to the front door, both stumbling over their feet at every other step. 

“Are you guys taking an Uber at least?”

“Yes mom!” They both looked at each other in shock before dissolving in a fit of laughter. Marinette rolled her eyes, waving goodbye as they slammed the front door shut.

With a sigh, she made her way to the microwave, hitting the reheat button for her pasta inside. 

“Is that an every weekend occurrence?”

Marinette jumped, whipping around to find Damian leaning against the kitchen counter, his face expressionless. 

“How about next time a warning like ‘Hey Marinette’ or ‘Whatcha doing?”

He didn’t reply, just remained stoic as he waited for her answer.

“No, it’s not, just an occurrence whenever Adrien gets his heart broken. So try a monthly thing.”

He nodded in response, watching her carefully. Marinette shifted under his gaze, trying to keep her cool and not melt into a puddle. He may be a jerk, but he was still a hot jerk. The ding of the microwave severed the tension between them as she opened the drawer beside her, pulling out a fork. Sliding out her pasta, she didn’t even check to see if it had heated all the way through before she rushed past Damian and back to the safety of her room. 

He didn’t follow, but she heard him let out a thoughtful hum before he made his way back to his room, shutting his door. Letting out a sigh, she stirred through her pasta, reaching for the pen beside her bed. 

_“How’d your interview go?”_

She was halfway through her pasta when she felt the tingling. 

_“Aced it. How was your day Angel? I apologize for not writing sooner.”_

She rolled her eyes at his formalness, trying not to let her smile get the best of her. 

_“I finally got my break. I’ll be getting a sponsor!”_

Finishing the last bite of her pasta, Marinette weighed the risk of running into Damian again if she went to put up her dishes. Deciding it was too great, she set the plate on her nightstand, mentally preparing herself for the backlash she would get from hungover Chloe in the morning.

_“That’s fantastic, I hope it works in your favor habibti.”_

A shiver ran down her spine as her cheeks flushed red. She had used google translate a few times of the names he gave her and was surprised to find the Arabic traces. When she asked him about it, he just brushed it off to being from his mother’s side, never bringing it up again. Picking up her pen, she etched a small Robin on her arm, leaving a space beside it to write;

_“Your pictures always inspire my designs. I can’t wait to see what you leave me tomorrow.”_

A minute hadn’t even passed before he responded. 

_“If you wash your arm off now, you won’t have to wait.”_

Her heart picked up pace as she rushed into the bathroom, scrubbing furiously at her arm. She returned to her bed, toweling off the few wet spots as she watched in awe as pen strokes tickled her skin. 

“He’s so talented Marinette!”

Marinette smiled as she watched his delicate art slowly cover her arm, her mind drifting from the stress of the day. 

“He really is Tikki, he really is.”


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette woke to the smell of chocolate chip muffins. It would have been relaxing if it weren’t for the fact that she was the only one who knew how to cook in the apartment. Throwing on a sweatshirt, she raced to the kitchen, grabbing the fire extinguisher from the hall ready to put out a fire if necessary.

“Muffin?”

She blinked hard at the sight of Damian in the kitchen, holding a hot pan of muffins. Slowly, she lowered the fire extinguisher before cautiously reaching for one of the muffins sitting on a cooling rack. His eyes watched hers cautiously as she took a small bite, waiting for her reaction.

“Wow. These are actually good.”

He scoffed, taking the rest of the muffin from her hand and tossing it back on the rack, ignoring her protests.

“What was that for?” She crossed her arms staring down the man, a frown growing on her face.

Damian didn’t answer, choosing to pour a fresh batch into the now empty pan. Marinette creeped forward, picking up the remains of her muffin. Rolling her eyes, she took a seat on the couch, flipping on the television.

“Can’t you turn that cursed thing down. I am trying to focus here.”

“Can’t you say please?”

He placed the muffin pan into the oven before marching over to the couch. He held out his hand expectantly, his eyes burning holes into hers. She tentatively placed the remote in his hand, her eyes flicking to his wrist where a brief dark swirl peeked out from the edge of his long sleeve.

“Is that a note from your soulmate?”

His eyes grew large as he pulled down his sleeve as hard as he could.

“Are you always so nosy? If I wanted loud and invasive, I would’ve stayed with my brother and his wife in their house.”

“It was just a question dude.”

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose earning a second eye roll from Marinette.

“Marinette Dupain-Chang if you don’t get your nasty ass trash out of this room, we are going to fight right now!”

Chloe’s voice echoed from their room causing Marinette to wince. She meant to bring that out this morning, but the smelling of cooking scared her and she forgot. Standing up, she collected the fire extinguisher from the kitchen floor, causing Damian to give her a quizzical look.

“Dupain-Chang!”

The door flew open and a hungover Chloe came stumbling out, holding tightly to the take out tray and fork from last night.

“Great,” Marinette held the fire extinguisher defensively in front of her as the girl came charging. 

“Chloe, Why don’t I just buy you a coffee and we’ll call it even?”

She paused, a frown passing over her face before it evened out to a grimace.

“Fine, but only if Damikins and Adrikins come too?”

Marinette raised an eyebrow at the boy who shook his head in return.

“I’m going to get Adrikins up. If not, he’ll sleep for the rest of the day. Be ready to go in five minutes!”

She waited until the banging on his door stopped before she risked a look at Damian. He shook his head, a scowl present on his face.

“I don’t do group outings.”

“Can’t you just do a group outing this one time?”

She did her best puppy dog eyes, but he seemed to be a wall.

“Stop that, you look ridiculous. Where is your dignity woman?”

Marinette crossed her arms, a frown forming on her face.

“Why are you like this?”

“Honest? Straight-forward? Sorry if I won’t coddle your feelings Angel.”

“Don’t call me that.” Her face was burning with anger. Only her soulmate could call her that, not this brat.

“What’s wrong Angel? You’re too used to being coddled Angel?” His smirk was becoming unbearable. Her blood felt like it was boiling.

“You’re insufferable!”

“The feelings are mutual.”

Chloe marched into the living room, dragging a half-asleep Adrien behind her.

“Are you two ready? This headache is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.”

Damian shook his head, pushing past the group toward his room. His door slammed shut earning a wince from the two blondes.

“What’s got his panties in a twist?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.”  
… … … … … … …… .

Marinette stared at her wrist, admiring the swirls and details of her soulmate’s art. He had drawn a gorgeous landscape in the shape of a woman's face, her hair flowing with trees and small flowers.

“Ughhhhhh, the sun is way too bright out here. Why did I let you convince us to take a patio seat?”

Adrien groaned in pain, burying his head in his hands. Chloe didn’t look much better, but she hid it behind a large pair of white sunglasses and red lips.

“Adrikins is right Dupain-Chang, the sun is not a hangover cure.”

She sighed, looking up from her wrist, her eyes dancing with amusement.

“But fresh air and coffee are. You two should stop drinking so much when you go out if you can’t handle the morning after.”

Both blondes flipped her off earning a giggle from the girl. Marinette bit her lip, staring at her two friends as they moaned and groaned in misery.

“Hey, What do you guys think of Damian?”

“What about him?” Chloe peeked over the top of her sunglasses, taking a small sip from her frappuccino.

“I don’t know. He’s just very.. different?”

“I’ll say. How can that man look that good and be straight? It’s an injustice to society.”

Adrien shook his head in disappointment as Marinette let out a soft chuckle.

“I think Damikins will come around eventually. He just left a big home with lots of older siblings who are off living their lives and a dad who travels a lot and is never home. That’s enough to make anyone rude, I mean, look how I used to be.”

The three of them shook their heads in agreement, shuddering at the thought.

“Just give him some time Maribug.” Adrien reached over to give her hand a squeeze, turning over her wrist to admire the art.

“Your soulmate is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. It’s not fair that you get beautiful art and all I get is lousy numbers.”

“Chloe,” Marinette rolled her eyes, sharing a look with Adrien. “They’re definitely coordinates. You know that they can’t tell you their name or their home address. Your soulmate is just using a loophole.”

“Well it’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.”

“At least you have heard from yours. Mine only ever wrote to me once, and they only did it to tell me to never write them again! Now that’s ridiculous.”

Marinette nodded, her eyes darting back down to her wrist. She really was lucky. She had a soulmate who took the time to get to know her and never fails to make her feel loved. Her friends weren’t as lucky. She couldn’t wait to get home to write to him.


	4. Chapter 4

The weekend flew by and before Marinette knew it, she was on her way to her first final that Tuesday. She spent the rest of Sunday and Monday avoiding Damian, choosing to barricade herself in her bedroom surrounded by textbooks.

“When was the American Revolution?”

“From 1775 to 1783, give me something a little harder Tikki.”

The kwamii huffed as the two of them sat huddled in the back of the shuttle bus.

“I’m trying Marinette, I’m reading straight from your textbook!”

Marinette giggled, stroking Tikki’s head with one finger.

“Thank you for your help Tikki. I know I’m ready for this test, but I still feel stressed for some reason.

“You know Marinette, you should ask Damian to study with you in the Spring! He’s a history major too right?”

The girl rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

“I think I’ll take my chances with you Tikki.”

The bus halted to a stop in front of the Student Union as Marinette jumped up, closing her backpack in the process. She walked across campus, breathing in the brisk winter air, trying to calm her nerves. She reached for the door when a tingle spread across her wrist. Pulling up the sleeve of her coat, Marinette peered down with a smile.

_“Good Luck today Angel, even though I know you don’t need it.”_

The brisk air numbed her skin, but she could feel the warmth spreading in her chest. She moved indoors before uncapping the pen holding her bun in place. Soft curls framed her face as she scribbled on her wrist, making small steps in the direction of the closest bathroom.

_“Thank you mon amour, I’ll write you in a few hours.”_

She stood over the sink, watching intently as she waited for his handwriting to disappear before she washed away hers. Grabbing a paper towel, she exited the bathroom, drying her wrist furiously as she raced to the classroom. Tossing the towel in the nearest trash bin, she barely looked up before colliding into a still object, crashing to the floor.

“Ow,” she rubbed her head, looking up at the man who barely moved.

“Are you always such a klutz?” Damian reached out his hand, a smirk stretched across his face.

“You.” Marinette narrowed her eyes, swatting his hand away. With great effort, she pushed herself up, crossing her arms to stare down her roommate.

“What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I asked first.”

Damian scoffed, rolling his eyes as he turned back toward the entrance to Professor Lupez’ classroom

“I’m here to take my final for American History.”

“You weren’t in my class this whole semester. Did you take it online?”

“Nosy and perspective, your soulmate must be overwhelmed with joy.”

His smirk returned to his face as he watched the smaller girl turn bright red. Marinette pushed past him and into the classroom, ignoring his jabs of laughter. Taking her usual seat, she exhaled slowly, trying to push away her interaction with the boy. There was no way she was going to let Damian Al Ghul mess up her perfect GPA.

Minutes later, Damian entered the room chatting idly with the professor as if they had known each other for years, his smirk still evident on his face. Marinette felt her blood start to boil again. Professor Lupez was her favorite teacher on this entire campus, there was no way that he could take that from her. She stood up to intervene when she felt a light pressure in her back.

Sitting back down, Marinette let out a soft groan before reaching into her backpack to grab her pencils. Tikki reached up, offering them to her while shaking their head. The kwamii made a motion to inhale deeply and let it go and much to their delight, Marinette did just that.

“Alright class, any last minute questions before I hand out the most important grade of this semester?”

Professor Lupez glanced around the room, her eyes landing briefly on Marinette’s, offering the girl a warm smile.

“Well then, if everyone is so prepared, I wish you all the best of luck. As always, cheating results in a 0 and please, try to place your tests in one neat pile. I know you are not savages!”

Marinette exhaled one last time as her seatmate handed her the pile of tests. Picking the one from the top, she passed on the rest, risking a look at the boy seated two rows down from her. He was already on the second page, his face stretching into a smug. She looked back at her own test, a smug expression of her own forming.

This test would be a breeze.

… … … … … … … … … … .

Walking out of the classroom, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. She had finished the test in a mere twenty minutes, shocking many of her classmates when she drifted past them to turn it in. She pulled out her phone to send a text to Chloe when she heard the voice she was dreading.

“Took you long enough. I thought for a second that you could be on my level of intellect, but your performance proved otherwise.”

“What are you still doing here Damian?” She let out a sigh, averting her eyes to the ground.

“I thought we could walk home together, after all, we do live together.”

Her eyes darted up as she crossed her arms, watching Damian with a renewed curiosity.

“Yeah, with Adrien and Chloe. Don’t make it sound like we’re a couple.”

“As if you could earn my respect Dupain-Chang.”

She frowned at his smirk, unable to tell if he was joking, unable to tell if she cared.

“Yeah, well, let’s go then.”

She didn’t wait for an answer as she pushed past him, exiting the building, leaving him to trail behind her in the cold winter afternoon.

… … … … … … … … … … . .

The walk home was awkward to say the least, neither one saying much. Marinette tried to ask him about his family and his home, but he brushed her off, declaring that he did not like the idea of small talk to fill in the silence. She jiggled her key into the doorknob, pushing lightly to break through the slight ice that had formed around the frame.

“Do you want some-”

She didn’t even finish her sentence before his bedroom door slammed, leaving her alone in the kitchen. Marinette let out a sigh, unzipping her backpack for Tikki to fly out.

“Well, I guess hot chocolate for one then.”

Tikki let out a giggle as the girl pulled down a mug. She placed the mixture of chocolate and milk on the stove when her phone began to buzz. At the sight of the caller id, a warm smile stretched across her face.

“Maman! How are you?”

“How am I? How are you?! Your first final was today! Tell me, will I have another history buff in this family like your grandfather?”

Marinette shook her head, trying to keep the laughter from bubbling out.

“I’m considering a double major Maman, but you know I love designing and nothing can change that.”

“I know sweetie, I just want to make sure you’re exploring your options! That’s what college is all about!”

“I know Maman, but I’m exploring business, that’s exploring enough.”

Her mother chuckled, sending a warm feeling straight to the girl’s toes. The sound of bubbling liquid caught her attention as she moved to turn off the stove, ladling the chocolate into her mug.

“Maman, I love you, but you don’t usually risk an international call unless it’s something urgent. What’s going on?”

“Oh sweetie, it’s nothing bad. It’s just that your father and I were talking about your winter break. We know you’ll be busy working on your portfolio for Professor Brookes, but if there was an opportunity for us to fly over for Christmas, would you want us too?”

“Oh my god, are you serious? Maman I would love that! Both Adrien and Chloe will be flying back so I’ll have plenty of room!”

The women chatted excitedly for several minutes before they finally agreed to hang up, neither wanting to pay the phone bill that they were wracking up. Swirling her hot chocolate in her mug, Marinette felt on cloud 9. It was the inspiration she was waiting for to get back to her designs and she wasn’t going to waste it.


	5. Chapter 5

Before she knew it, Marinette was leaving her last final that Friday, full of excitement. Her parents were coming in a week! She hadn’t seen them since the first week of August when she had made a quick trip home with Chloe and Adrien to see their families before the semester began. Four long months of video chats and the occasional phone call was not enough.

Hopping the shuttle bus, Marinette made her way to the back, blissfully ignoring her surroundings as she plopped on the back row. Pulling out her sketchbook, she began on her third design for Professor Brookes. Somehow in the crowded timespan of finals week, she managed to convince Adrien and Chloe to model some of her older designs for her portfolio. Adrien promised to edit them and have them back to her before tonight when they left for the airport.

“Are you stalking me Marinette?”

Her head whipped up to find Damian turned in his seat, his eyes dancing with amusement.

“Wha- I mean- It’s not like that- It’s just- I”

For the first time since she met the man, he did something that scared her. He laughed.

“It was just a joke Angel. No need to get so hot and bothered.”

“Again with the Angel? Can’t you just drop that?”

His widening smirk answered before he could shake his head.

“I have a knack for getting under people’s skin and Angel is the quickest way to get under yours. I wonder, what is so important about that nickname? Ex-boyfriend? Ex-girlfriend?”

She rolled her eyes, doing her best to ignore his taunting. She turned her attention back to her sketch, jotting a few notes on the side before shutting her book tightly.

“What is your tick Damian? You have to have one right?”

He shook his head, a brief look of pride crossing his face.

“I learned from a young age that if you let things tick you off, people will take advantage of it, specifically brothers will take advantage of it.”

“What are your brothers’ names?”

It was as if a switch flickered off. His playful expression was gone and instead, the stoic jerk she knew surfaced again. A scowl curled from his lips as he turned back in his seat, leaving her question unanswered. Marinette let out a small sigh, turning her eyes toward the window. She really thought she had made a breakthrough, but it didn’t seem as though she could break through his exterior. Uncapping her pen, she rolled up her sleeve.

_“I’m pretty sure I just aced my last final. I hope you’re feeling just as confident.”_

A minute had barely passed before the familiar tingle moved through her arm.

_“Of course I am. What are you gonna do now?”_

_“I’m on my way to the workshop. I’m almost finished with my third design which means it’s time to start sewing. I’m hoping to get it done before next Friday.”_

She tried her best to write small and legible so that she could continue their conversation without having to switch arms. While she could write with her left hand, it was never determined as to whether that handwriting was legible or not.

_“I know you will Angel. You always manage.”_

Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette saw Damian shift in his seat almost as if he wanted to turn around but instead he remained staring forward, ignoring the small girl. Capping her pen, Marinette stood making her way to the front of the bus. She tried to wave at the boy, but he simply turned his head in favor of looking out the window. Shrugging her shoulders, Marinette waited for the bus to screech to a stop before she stepped off, not bothering to look back at the eyes that followed her every step away.  
… … … … … … … … … … . .

“About time Dupain-Chang. You’re lucky my plane is private, otherwise, I would be charging you for missing my flight.”

Marinette rolled her eyes as she stepped into the car, shoving the bags monopolizing the backseat to the side.

“Seriously you two? It’s just two weeks. What do you need so many clothes for?”

“It’s the terrible price of being famous.” Adrien threw his hand dramatically across his forehead earning a giggle from the two girls.

“Maman and Papa will be upset they missed you two.”

“Who said they were gonna miss us? They're our first stop when we land.”

“You don’t get to see my parents before I do! That’s not fair!”

Marinette crossed her arms watching her friends burst into fits of borderline maniacal laughter.

“Seriously you guys! What am I going to do on my own for the next week?”

“Maybe you and Damian can hang out?”

Adrien bit his lip trying not to laugh at the scowl he received. It had only been a week, but they were all aware of the mutual distaste between the two.

“You’re so not funny Chat.”

Adrien gasped, clutching his heart as he fell against the window.

“Why must you wound me?”

“Adrikins, if you streak up my windows, you’ll be finding your own way home.”

Adrien sat up quickly, mock saluting Chloe in the process. Pulling onto the airstrip, Chloe caught Marinette’s eyes in the rear view mirror.

“You’re going to take care of my car right Dupain-Chang?”

“I always do Chloe.”

“Good. Then I suppose I could allow your parents to use my private jet to fly into the States for Christmas.”

Marinette’s eyes widened as her jaw dropped.

“No way, oh my god, Maman is going to freak! Thank you so much Chloe!”

The girl threw her arms around the driver’s seat, doing her best to wrap Chloe into a hug. She felt the push as Chloe tried to untangle herself, pretending to be disgusted but the smile in her rear view mirror gave her away. The car came to a stop a few feet from the plane, a multitude of staff rushed forward to attend to their luggage.

Stepping out of the car, Marinette proceeded to give her friends a proper hug, much to Chloe’s protests.

“It’s just two weeks Dupen-Chang, you don’t have to be so touchy.”

“But I’ll miss you guys alot!”

The two blondes pulled back, both shaking their heads.

“You’re ridiculous Dupain-Chang, utterly ridiculous.”

Marinette waved as she watched her two friends board the plane and with a sigh, she slipped into the driver’s seat. This was going to be a long week.  
… … … … … … … … … … .  
Marinette paced the kitchen, debating on if she should knock on Damian’s door or not. It was 10pm, but she wasn’t sure if he had eaten dinner yet. In Paris, this was close to the time her family usually got to sit down together, but after being here for three years, she learned very quickly that American’s tended to eat earlier than that.

Finding herself in front of his door, she raised her hand hesitantly. They had a semi nice conversation earlier today and even if it ended abruptly, it was a start right?

She never had the chance to decide as his door flung open, leaving her eyes level with his bare chest.

“My God, I’m so sorry. I was-I just- I can’t”

She looked straight up, trying not to think about his abs or his sculpted chest or his nice skin. God, why was it so hard to get that image out of her head?

The door slammed shut giving her the moment she needed to dart back to the kitchen, trying to shake the image out of her head. He’s a jerk. A very hot jerk. A very very very hot jerk. 

The sound of his door reopening snapped her out of her trance as she pretended to stir the pot as if nothing had happened.

He cleared his throat, forcing her to turn around and face him. He lifted an eyebrow, his arms crossed over his now covered chest.

“I wasn’t aware you were home.”

“I was just going to ask if you wanted some vegetable soup. Chloe mentioned you were vegetarian and I am trying to cut out meat and I was just wondering if you were hungry and I wasn’t sure if you had eaten yet and-”

She clamped her mouth shut, cutting off her rant as she tried to avoid making eye contact with the boy in front of her. Several agonizing minutes passed before he finally answered.

“Okay.”

He brushed her shoulder as he reached for two bowls from the cabinet. Marinette stood as still as a statue as he spooned out the soup, leaving one bowl on the counter for her as he walked back towards his room. He paused right before his doorway, offering the girl a look she couldn’t decipher. Then, for the second time today, Damian Al Ghul shocked her.

“Thank you.”

And with that, he shut his door leaving the girl to melt into a puddle of embarrassment on the kitchen floor.


	6. Chapter 6

Marinette spent all day Saturday and Sunday in the workshop working on her new designs. Whenever the memory of Friday night tried to slip it’s way into her thoughts, she was quick to push on with her sewing, attempting to focus on anything but it. She would never admit it out loud, but she was mostly using the excuse of her portfolio to avoid Damian.

She made sure to leave at 6 in the morning and didn’t dare return until well past 11, doing her best to tread lightly as she raced back and forth from her room to the bathroom. She had been doing good the past two days, but Monday night she wasn’t quite as lucky. As she opened the door to her apartment, she almost let out a silent curse. Damian sat on the sofa watching the news intently, not paying any mind to the girl as she stood in the doorframe staring.

“Did you know that Superman is going to be attending the Christmas drive this year?”

His eyes never let the screen, but there was no doubt that he was talking to her. Swallowing hard, Marinette stepped inside, pulling the door shut behind her.

“What is the Christmas Drive?”

“It’s a big gala at the LexCorp building. Every year, Lex Luthor hosts it as matches the donations made by attendees. It’s free to anyone who brings a check or a wrapped gift for the orphanage.”

Marinette placed her keys on the ring near the door, careful not to take her eyes from the boy.

“He sounds like a great guy.”

Damian let out a sound that was close to a snort while shaking his head.

“Most businessmen do. If only people dug a little further into their past or their spendings, they’d be in for a shock.”

“That’s the truth.” Marinette meant to mumble it to herself, but the way Damian’s eyebrow rose as his eyes darted toward her direction let her know she said it louder than she would’ve liked.

She shuffled toward the love seat, awkwardly sitting down as she avoided his gaze. Out of instinct, she traced over her wrist causing his eyes to drift down. A small frown appeared on his face. He opened his mouth, but then closed it, deciding against speaking out. He tossed the remote on the coffee table, startling the small girl.

  
“What do you do for such long periods of the day?”

“I uhm, I’m working on a portfolio for possible sponsors. I have the pictures from my models that I have to arrange and I have to sew at least three outfits for sponsors to view and decide if they like the quality of my designs. It’s all due before the spring semester begins.”

He nodded his head in thought, the intensity in his eyes felt as if it was reading straight into her soul. She cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze.

“Seems like a waste of your talent.”

“What does?”

“You’re obviously very adequate in academics, specifically history. Why would you want to throw away a steady career for a hobby?”

“A hobby?” Marinette felt her face heating up as she sat up straight in the chair. Damian obliviously continued on, ignoring the girl’s reddening features.

“Yes, sewing is childsplay. History however is ever changing and continuous. You could take a job as a professor in a university making at least $50,000 starting off.”

“Childsplay?” She couldn’t hold back the crack in her voice. He might not know it, but he was one wrong word from an explosion.

“Yes, are you deaf in your ears? But I suppose practicality isn’t for everyone. You’ll have to fail on your own before you consider a reasonable career.”

Marinette slammed her hands on either side of the love seat pushing herself into a standing position.

“My career is my choice. I want to own my own business with my designs, which are really good mind you. I’ve turned down some of the biggest names in the fashion industry to ensure that my designs aren’t exploited as their own. I have an excellent chance of making it in this world, making triple what you’re predicting in an “unreasonable” career. So you know what? Fuck you Damian Al Ghul.”

She didn’t even offer the boy a chance to respond as she pushed past him and into her room. Slamming the door, she sank down onto the floor, trying to level out her breathing.

“In for 4, out for 8. Calm Marinette.”

Tikki’s concerned face hovered in front of Marinette’s trying to count for the girl as her breaths slowly became even. Marinette let out a groan as she buried her head in her hands.

“I’m sorry Tikki. He just-he makes me so mad sometimes! An unreasonable career, as if I haven’t heard that enough times in my life.”

“He didn’t know Marinette. He was just stating his point of view, he has no idea of what you’ve been through, you can’t be mad at him for that!”

Marinette peeked through her fingers at the floating kwamii.

“I know Tikki, but he pushed it too far and he didn’t even apologize.”

“You didn’t give him the chance to.”

Marinette let out another groan, pulling her head from her hands. She really hated when Tikki was right, but it was too late. Her pride wouldn’t let her go back out there to apologize herself. With much effort, she stood up and made her way to her nightstand. Picking up the pen, she hesitated over her arm. Normally, she would turn to her soulmate after a rough day, but he hadn’t written to her in two days.

_“Hey you okay?”_

She sat on the edge of her bed, staring madly at her arm as if she was willing him to write her back, but after ten minutes, she gave up. Grabbing her pjs, Marinette made her way to the bathroom, hoping to wash away her stress. She stood under the hot water for fifteen minutes, glancing at her wrist every so often in hopes that she hadn’t felt his answer.

Turning off the water, she wrapped herself in the closest towel, staring at the mirror. She tried to straighten her posture but it didn’t seem to work. She still felt like a terrible person and a nervous wreck. As she slipped on her sweatshirt, she didn’t even bother to roll her sleeve up. He wasn’t going to respond for the third night in a row. Three years of writing back and forth and sure the responses were slow sometimes but he never made her wait a full day before responding.

“Tikki? What if my soulmate found someone to be with and they cut me off?”

“You mean like Adrien’s?”

The girl nodded, her eyes flickering between her covered wrist and Tikki.

“Marinette, Adrien’s soulmate was already in a relationship when he turned 18, he didn’t want to break that off on the chance that he would find him some day! That is not the relationship that you and your soulmate have. There’s a real connection there Marinette, I just know there is!”

“I just need to sleep Tikki. I need a break right now. I don’t think I can-”

She didn’t even finish her sentence; she simply shook her head and crawled into her bed, pulling the covers over her head. Tikki settled onto her head, trying to provide any comfort they could to their chosen.  
… … … … … … … … .  
Marinette woke at 5:45, the sunlight not yet peeking through her windows as she stumbled around the room, trying to find her shoes. She shut her bedroom door softly, trying to avoid making any noise as she padded into the kitchen. Before she could flick on the light by the stove, a stray piece of paper caught her attention.

Lifting it close to her eyes, Marinette’s face softened. In elegant handwriting, the note read:

‘I apologize for my behavior last night. I am still learning how to interact with people who are not family. I hope this tea will make amends.

Sincerely,

Damian’

She placed the note to the side, picking up the pot from the stove. Inhaling deeply, her body instantly relaxed. It was Earl Gray, her favorite, and it was fresh. That meant he was possibly still awake. Her hands moved on instinct, flipping the paper over with one, and uncapping the pen with her other. She scribbled down a quick note before recapping her pen, placing it back into her purse.

Taking a few timid steps toward his room, her eyes darted down to the soft light emitting from under his door. As quickly as she could, she slid the note under his door before rushing back to the kitchen. She poured her tea into her travel mug and grabbed her keys from the ring beside the door. Her hand was on the knob when she heard light footsteps behind her.

“Marinette?”

Her hand remained on the knob, not risking a look back at the man.

“I just wanted to let you know that I accept your apology as well. Enjoy your day in the workshop.”

Marinette turned the doorknob, pushing the door open. She tried to hide the small smile that threatened to overtake her face as she shut it behind her, turning the lock. Maybe things were finally starting to look up.


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the week seemed to fly by as Marinette knocked out two of her three designs, and put the finishing touches on her portfolio. When she woke Friday morning, she could barely hold in her excitement.

“Okay Tikki, so Maman and Papa will be here at 7pm which means I have plenty of time to set up Adrien’s room and run out for some groceries for the week. They’re going to be so excited to see you Tikki!”

“Not as excited as you are to see them Marinette! This week will be wonderful!”

“I only wish that Damian had somewhere to go. I asked him about going home for the week, but he only got all pissy again. What happened Tikki? We got along for like a whole night and then he went right back to his closed-off self.”

“Not everyone can share their life Marinette. Remember when you had to hide from your friends who you really were? It made you snappy at times as well. Everyone has their own baggage, just give him time.”

Marnette nodded as she reached down to slide on her shoes. Just as she reached for her phone, her eyes caught the black script on her wrist.

_“I hope your parents arrive safely habibti. Give them my best.”_

A small smile reached the corner of her mouth. He finally answered Wednesday night, apologizing profoundly for a family matter. He never gave her an explanation, but she didn’t need one or want one. She was just glad he was back.

_“Thank you, I’m so excited to see them. It’s been months.”_

Capping her pen, she slipped it into her purse, allowing Tikki to fly in as well. Pulling her coat around her tightly, she set out for the grocery store, a smile never leaving her face.  
… … … … … … … … … … … … … . .

Marinette sat on the couch in the living room, watching the small digital clock that sat near the TV. The time for her parents to land had come and passed. At first, it was only an hour, but as the numbers neared closer to 9pm, Marinette began to worry. Her parents had not called to say that their flight was delayed earlier, but she tried to brush it off as forgetfulness and nothing else.

Moving to the kitchen, Marinette pulled down her favorite mug before placing a pot on the stove. Dumping in a chunk of chocolate and a cup of milk, she brought the stove to full heat, stirring the pot continuously. As bubbles started to form, she moved to pot to the side before ladeling some of the mixture into her mug.

Stepping onto the balcony, she didn’t bother to pull on her coat. She wanted the cool air to bite at her cheeks to keep her awake. Not even five minutes passed before her phone began to buzz in her back pocket. Her heart raced as she placed the phone to her ear, a smile plastered across her face.

“It’s about time! You guys didn’t tell me you were going to be late!”

The line was silent for a moment and Marinette had to double-check as to whether or not her parents had accidentally hung up.

“Is this Miss Marinette Dupain-Chang?”

“Yes? Who is this?” Her smile faltered for a second as she felt her racing heart calm.

“This is Dr. Henry Marshal, the coroner for Queens County, New York. Are you at a place you can sit down?”

She managed to mumble at a yes as she lowered herself into the chair on the deck, placing her mug on the table.

“Earlier today, at 12pm we had a private plane perform a landing at the JFK airport. We had an emergency weather notice for a snowstorm, nullifying all of our flights from taking off or landing due to safety concerns. However, this particular plane did not heed our warning and tried to set down, but could not slow fast enough. After identifying the bodies, I regret to inform you that Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain did not survive. You may take the time that you need, but please let us know as soon as possible how you would like us to handle the bodies.”

Marinette’s heart dropped as a single tear escaped, trailing down her face. She tried to swallow hard, but only ended up choking on the sob that was rising.

“Miss Dupain-Chang, we truly are sorry for your loss. Please call this number when you are ready to make arrangements for them.”

She managed an incoherent okay before hanging up on the man. Setting her phone down on the table, Marinette suddenly felt very numb. She tried to stand, but it was like her limbs were cement. A second tear fell and then a third. Soon, she couldn’t see past the stream of tears as she choked back sobs. All she wanted to do was curl in on herself, but she couldn’t move.

“Marinette?”

Her head numbly rose to meet concerned eyes, but she was still unable to speak for fear the sobs she had been holding back would start and never stop. Damian slid off his coat and slipped it over her shoulders as he kneeled in front of her.

“What happened?’

She opened her mouth and just as she feared, an awful sob wretched out, as she fell forward, clutching the jacket that draped her. Damian’s face fell as he recognized the heartbreak. Awkwardly, he reached forward, pulling her into his chest, rubbing small circles in her back. They sat like that for an hour before Marinette had calmed down enough to pull back. Her face was hardened as she tried everything to avoid breaking down again.

“Marinette, please, what happened?” he gently moved forward to look into her eyes, his hand moving from her back to her knee in front of him.

“My parents-” She choked again, swallowing as hard as she could to push down the second round of tears that threatened to pour-over. She cleared her throat as she began again. “My parents are dead, a plane crash on their way to see me.” Her voice cracked as she felt another tear fall.

Damian’s eyebrows furrowed, trying not to press her for more information than she was willing to give. His eyes fell to her wrist, noticing how bare it was as it peeked from his jacket.

“What am I even talking to you for? You probably don’t care. Hell, you don’t even like me.”

His head recoiled back as he met her bloodshot eyes.

“I do like you. I am sorry if I gave you any other impression Marinette. I am still working on socializing. I was raised in a kill or be killed environment-”

He was cut off by her harsh laughter as he watched her shake her head in disbelief.

“So you call playing games with Adrien and giving study tips to Chloe a ‘struggle at socialization’? I understand my situation is horrible, but I don’t need bullshit or pity Damian.”

She pulled off his coat, tossing it in his face as she grabbed her now cold chocolate and phone before stepping inside. She pulled up her contact list, intent on calling her friends, but something stopped her. Her friends were enjoying a break with their families and would be back before Christmas. She didn’t want to take this from them, knowing they would take the next plane back to Metropolis. And the last thing she wanted right now was anyone she loved on a plane.

“Marinette.”

She didn’t bother to turn around, intent on not accepting his pity.

“Marinette, please. You are harder to talk to, but not because I don’t like you. It’s just-”

“What? What is so hard about me Damian?”

“It’s just I think we’re soulmates!”

Marinette turned slowly to face the boy, red creeping up her cheeks.

“Don’t joke like that Damian. Don’t use my emotional state to try and get close to me. It’s below you.”

She pushed past him, ignoring his protests as she slammed her bedroom door in his face, clicking the lock into place. A new wave of tears streamed down her face, only this time it was anger. Anger at the pilots. Anger at the weather. Anger at Damian. She didn’t deserve this! Her parents were good people, they didn’t deserve this! Reaching for the closet thing, Marinette chucked her textbook across the room. She fell to her knees, silent tears still falling.

A tingle in her wrist caught her attention as she glanced down at her wrist.

_“I really am here for you Angel. You only have to open the door. It doesn’t have to be tonight, but whenever you’re ready, I’ll be waiting.”_

Marinette shook her head, refusing to believe that the world could have such a cruel sense of humor. She loses her parents, but gains her soulmate? No, she refused to believe it. Instead, she stumbled into her bed, pulling the covers over her head, crying herself to sleep.

… … … … … … … … . .

Damian refused to move from her door, sitting in front of it all night, unable to sleep in case his soulmate needed him. He knew how much she adored her family, far more than he cared for his own. He also knew the pain of losing someone you cared for, but he couldn’t imagine her pain at the moment. As the sunlight filtered through the windows, he heard a slight movement from her room.

A heavy thud sounded from inside, followed by lighter steps in the direction of the door. Scrambling to his feet, Damian brushed off any wrinkles that had formed over night. There was a slight hesitancy on her side of the door and Damian began to wonder if she could hear his heartbeat pounding as he could hear hers. Finally, the doorknob slowly turned as she pulled the door open, her eyes narrowed on him.

Neither spoke, they simply remained silent as they sized each other up. Marinette cautiously reached toward her bun, pulling a small pen out. She placed the tip onto her wrist, drawing in a careless manner. When she was finished, she stared at him expectantly. The lightbulb above his head clicked as he rushed to pull his sleeve up, showing her the matching ink. She studied it for a moment before breathing out what sounded like a sigh of relief?

A tight smile pulled across her face, but Damian could see the pain in her eyes, still fresh from a night of mourning. Finally, she spoke, her voice tired and scratchy, yet somehow, Damian still found it beautiful. Especially when she said,

“Well mon amour, seems like we have a lot to talk about.”


	8. Chapter 8

Marinette didn’t know what to think. The Damian she met two weeks ago had disappeared, and in his place was the charming man she had grown to love over the past three years. It made her doubt everything she thought she knew about their relationship.

The first night had been hard. She woke several times in tears to the point that her pillowcase was soaked through. She could hear his level breathing from outside her door, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to face him.

The second night was worse. Night terrors began to set in and she found herself reaching out for company, even if it was his. She met him on the couch and curled into his side like she did a hundred times before with Chloe and Adrien. He seemed to understand as he didn’t push her to talk, only let her use him for comfort.

By the third night, she was able to have a conversation with him, longer than the awkward five minutes they had managed the other day. He finally opened up about his family, even telling her his real last name, Wayne.

“Why go by Al Ghul then?”

“Most people here Wayne and think money and favors, it’s unpleasant and draining. If I want a fresh start, I use my mother’s name, but it eventually falls through and I have to move all over again.”

“But why run from your family so often? I’d do anything to see mine one more time.”

Her eyes teared up, but she shook her head quickly, trying to stop before they really started. Damian studied her for a moment before offering her a small smile.

“They’ve always been very overwhelming. I went from high expectations with my mother to even higher expectations from my father. He wanted me to unlearn everything she had taught me and became angry and disappointed when I didn’t head in his every direction.”

He paused, noticing the tears still lingering on her eyelashes. Gently, he reached forward, brushing them away.

“Mother was to obey or be killed, which sounds terrible, but somehow I liked that better. At least I knew that any disappointment would be dealt with directly, nothing less. Father was angry, taking his anger out indirectly through comments and tough training, but the disappointment was worse. He’d compare me to his other kids, all adopted nonetheless, but it didn’t matter. He held them with high respect and praised them often.”

“That-” Marinette paused, unsure if she wanted to continue, but his smile was inviting her to speak her mind. “That sounds awful. Expectations are supposed to be set by yourself, not your parents. They’re just supposed to be there for support and the occasional guidance.”

“Is that how your parents were?”

Marinette bit her lip, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

“I’m sorry Angel, I wasn’t sure if you were ready to talk yet. I won’t bring it up again until you say you’re ready.”

“No,” she shook her head, much to his surprise. “I need this.”

Taking a deep breath, Marinette dove in, taking several small pauses to wipe away her tears.

“My parents were so supportive of everything I ever did. I tried sports when I was younger and while I wasn’t bad, it wasn’t my passion. My mother bought me an art set when I turned nine and it was like magic. All of a sudden, the world was whatever I wanted it to be. When I turned eleven, I discovered designing. I mentioned it once to them and when I came home from school, there was a dressing mannequin and a sewing machine sitting in my room.”

Her eyes glazed over as she stared at her hands in her lap. It seemed like such a distant memory at this point. His hand reached into her sight, moving toward her’s.

“May I?”

She nodded as she watched him intertwine their fingers. He waited patiently for her to continue, rubbing small circles into the back of her hand using his thumb.

“I was so happy with them. When I first was given the scholarship offer for Metropolis University, I didn’t know what to think. Chloe’s mother offered me a mentee spot if I traveled overseas, seeing as the flight to New York was only an hour from here. My parents knew what it meant for my possible future in the fashion industry, and to them, it was a no brainer. It was hard seeing them only for the breaks and then even harder when Professor Brookes offered me a spot in her workshop.”

“Your parents sound amazing. The way I grew up was- unconventional to say the least. I can’t even imagine where I would be today if I had that kind of support.”

A small smile stretched across Marinette’s face as her eyes rose to meet his.

“You sound like Chloe and Adrien.”

“They were close to your parents as well?”

“Adrien grew up in a very unconventional lifestyle as well. His mother disappeared when he was 12, leaving his father a broken man. He distanced himself from Adrien, only communicating with him when business was involved. Adrien tried to come out to him when we turned 16, but he scorned him, telling him he was confused and that he either dropped the subject or Gabriel would deal with it himself.”

Damian frowned, his eyebrow furrowing at her words.

“That’s ridiculous, his father could be runner up to my mother for worst parent of the year.”

“Yeah, Gabriel sucks. He still does. My parents allowed him to crash at my house that night, and every night after that they insisted he came over for dinner. They talked him through his teenage years, offering him advice and unconditional love. It was exactly what he needed to go public about his sexuality, my parents on either side of him at the press conference, offering support where they could. There was nothing his father could do at the point; if he spoke out, he would be seen as homophobic. Adrien held my parents on such a high pedestal after that.”

“And what about Chloe?”

Marinette shook her head, a small laugh escaping, shocking the two of them.

“Chloe used to be a terror when we were younger, but to be fair, she was being enabled at every turn. Her mother was a workaholic, never around and her father was a corrupt politician. She bullied me alot.”

Damina raised his eyebrow, but Marinette simply waved him off.

“I know what you’re thinking. It’s what everyone said when I offered to be her roommate in college. ‘How can I be her friend after that?’ It’s simple. When we were 14, she really fell off the deep end. She helped Gabriel do some very terrible things out of her feelings of anger and loneliness. Everyone resented her for it, and even her own parents turned their backs on her. Instead of offering her help, they left her even lonelier than before.”

Marinette leaned forward, picking up a picture frame from the table. Leaning over, she allowed Damian to take a closer look. The picture depicted a happy family. Marinette’s parents in the back with Marinette and the two blondes in front of them. The moment frozen as everyone was caught mid laugh at some unseen humor.

“Chloe fell into a depressive state and one night, my mother found her on our doorstep, tears pouring down her eyes. My parents brought her inside, wrapped her in a large blanket, and offered her a mug of hot cocoa. They knew who she was, they knew what she had done, but they could never leave her outside, they could never leave a child alone. She apologized for everything, telling me how her therapy helped her realize how terrible she was when we were younger. She was genuine.”

“How could you tell?”

Marinette pulled the picture close to her chest, a tear slipping from her eye.

“Chloe was a lot of things, but she never lied to me. She always believed in what she was saying, no matter how crazy it was. That night was a new beginning. It was rocky at first, but between myself and Adrien, we helped her back onto her feet. Pretty soon, she joined family dinners too. We did it every night for two years and I can’t tell you how much joy it brought to everyone, especially my parents. The one thing they loved more than each other, was loving others.”

A few more tears slipped out before she could stop them. It felt like she ripped off a bandaid she forgot was there. She knew her friends needed to know, Damian’s grim stare confirmed he was thinking the same thing. But it was too much. It was still too raw and the emotions swimming in her head from their deaths and from Damian’s confession. She couldn’t help them through their grief. Not yet.

“Marinette, I could tell them if you would like.”

She shook her head as she closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing again.

“It’s something I should do. I just need one more night.”

He nodded in understanding, not pushing the matter anymore, something she was grateful for. Marinette sat down the picture and picked up the pen beside it. She handed it to Damian before settling back into the couch.

“Could you draw me something?”

“What would you like me to draw?”

Marinette shook her head, leaning in his direction.

“Anything.”

And so he began, sketching on his wrist, his eyes occasionally glancing over at hers as she watched her own wrist intently. He watched her eyes start to flutter shut only to fly open as she fought the exhaustion. But it was a losing battle as she finally fell into his side, soft breaths escaping her parted lips. He placed the finishing touches before capping the pen, tossing it gently to the coffee table.

“Goodnight Angel.”

He reached over to the lamp, pulling the string hard, plunging them into darkness.  
… … … … … … … … … . .   
Marinette sat up abruptly to the sound of the banging on her door. Her first instinct was to reach into the drawer under the coffee table, pulling out a small pink container. She stood to move closer as the second round of banging commenced. Her eyes darted back to the couch where Damian had sat last night. 

It was empty, a small piece of paper on the coffee table promised her that he would return soon. Creeping towards the peephole, Marinette took a cautious look, only to find it covered by whoever was outside. With a deep breath, Marinette flung open the door, raising the pink container to her defense.

Her would be assailant fell to the ground, grabbing his eyes as he let out a string of curses that would’ve expelled him from any school he could’ve ever attended. She looked up to find two more startled figures, both had their hands held in a surrender position. Marinette lowered her defense, her eyes narrowing at the two men.

“Who are you?”

“She really pepper-sprayed me! You guys promised it would just aggravate Demon Spawn, you didn’t tell me I would be assaulted!”

The man on the ground sat up, still rubbing his bloodshot eyes, tears pouring down his face.

“I’ll ask you one more time, and just to be clear, you give me anything other than an answer to my question and I don’t need the pepper spray to kick your sorry asses. Who. Are. You?”

Two of them shared a panicked look, neither daring to move to help the third man up.

“Well you see sunshine, you are not who we were expecting either, in fact-”

The man with the bloodshot eyes rose only to be slammed into the wall by the girl. Marinette gripped his arm tightly behind his back, pushing his front side further into the concrete wall. Leaning all of her weight into him, she ignored his cries to ‘tap out’, her glare demanding a better answer from the remaining two.

The smaller one nudged the taller guy forward, neither looking eager to talk.

“Well you see, it’s a funny story really-”

“I’m losing my patience.” Marinette pulled her hostage’s arm further back, causing another string of curses.

“It’s just that-”

“They’re my idiot brothers.”

Marinette turned her head to see Damian standing behind them, an amused expression evident on his face. He was holding a tray with two coffees in them, a bag from Marinette’s favorite bakery in his other hand.

Horrified, Marinette let go of the man, allowing him to drop to the ground, rubbing his shoulder as he scooted away from her.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. It’s just between the banging on the door and then covering the peephole, I just assumed the worst. Please, come in, I’m so sorry.”

Marinette repeatedly apologized as she moved to help her poor victim up off the ground. 

“Don’t offer him help habibti, you’re too generous. Leave him on the ground.”

She shook her head, gently gripping the man’s good arm as she helped him to his feet. He moved quickly out of her grasp, his expression a mixture between weary and respect.

Damian stepped in front of her, his glare causing each man to fold in on themselves, none expect the man from the ground even dared to meet his eyes.

“Besides, you were asking the wrong question. It doesn’t matter who they are, it only matters what they’re doing here and how soon can they leave?”


	9. Chapter 9

It was slightly amusing to watch the four of them conversate. At first, Marinette was slightly concerned with how red Damian’s face was turning, but the minute the tall one opened his mouth to speak, she felt at ease with letting these strangers into her apartment.

“Again, I’m sorry baby bird! I didn’t know you still had roommates in town! It was an honest mistake really.”

The tall one–wait, no, she believed he said his name was Dick. Dick was begging for the hundredth time for Damian’s forgiveness, but he was reluctant to give in. Meanwhile, the coffee hog had stolen Damian’s coffee, sipping as he watched Marinette’s victim flush out his eyes in the kitchen sink.

“Dick, really, it’s fine. I was supposed to be out with my parents today anyways, just, uhm, plans changed.”

She attempted to hold her voice level as she offered him a friendly small, Damian’s eyes softening at her remark.

“Thank you Marinette, we didn’t mean to scare you, just get the jump on Damian. Do you know how hard it is to surprise the kid?”

Marinette chuckled, admiring his cheerfulness. She used to be like that when she was younger, she still was, but not to this extent. This was borderline terrifying.

“Don’t be apologizing to the Demon head. You should be asking him questions. Like how did he manage to get a friend besides Jon? And how is she so awesome?”

Marinette’s victim stood from the sink, his eyes still bloodshot, but he seemed more comfortable now that some of the pepper spray had been rinsed away.

“Jason, do not harass her, you idiot.”

Jason rolled his eyes at the youngest Wayne, ignoring his protests as he outstretched his hand, offering it to Marinette. With a slight giggle, she placed her hand in his, watching him bring it up to his lips, softy pressing a kiss onto her knuckles.

“I’m Jason, the most handsome and charming of the Wayne’s.”

He sent her a wink, sending her into a fit of laughter.

“Okay, that’s enough Todd. Back off, you’re not even a full-blooded Wayne.”

Damian’s red face pushed between the two, pulling apart their hands in the process.

“Anyways princess, Dick is the sunshine child, I’m the most handsome, Damian down here is the most annoying-”

“I’m literally only two inches shorter than you!”

“-and Timmy boy over here is the smartest.”

Tim’s face pulled into a smirk as he took another sip from Damian’s stolen coffee.

“Why thank you Jason, I know how much that pains you to say.”

Jason shrugged, running a hand through his tousled hair.

“I must give credit where credit is due, it’s part of my gentleman charm.”

He sent another wink in Marinette’s direction, pushing Damian over the edge.

“That’s enough. You all need to leave, I don’t even know why you came in the first place.”

Damian attempted to drag Jason toward the door, but the man dug his heels into the floor, refusing to budge.

“No can do Demon Spawn. We’re here on official family business, you know how it is being a major business corporation, am I right Princess?”

Marinette shook her head, trying to cover her smile with her hand. Damian’s face was becoming redder and redder by the passing moment, his eyes shooting daggers at the back of Jason’s head.

“You’ll have to excuse my brother Marinette, he can’t help himself around a beautiful woman.”

Tim stepped forward, a playful smile on his face. Marinette’s entire face flushed red, earning a laugh from Damian’s brothers.

“Enough! Either state your grievances or leave!” Damian’s tone was harsh, his eyes darting around the room, daring someone to deny his request.

“Fine fine, no need to get so twisted up. How do you live with this dude Princess?”

“With rooms on opposite sides of the apartment.”

Jason let out a chuckle, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

“I love your roommate Damian.”

“Yeah? Well love her from a distance.”

Damian grabbed Marinette’s hand, pulling her out from his brother’s grasp.

“Marinette, do you mind if we steal Damian away for a family lunch? We have lots to discuss.”

Dick offered her a warm smile that had her nodding before she fully processed the question.

“No, she comes with us.”

Everyone turned to look at Tim, confused expressions sending him into another smirk.

“She is not becoming involved in family matters.” Damian’s eyes hardened as he pushed her behind him, staring down his brother.

“Yeah, I’m sorry Princess, but I have to agree with Demon Spawn here. Tim, we can’t bring his roommate along no matter how beautiful and kickass she is.”

Tim shook his head, throwing the empty coffee cup away, earning a protest from Damian as he finally noticed his missing drink.

“She will be more helpful than you can imagine, after all, she’s the celebrity presence we will need.”

The confused expressions turned from the boy to Marinette instead who seemed just as lost. She threw her hands up in surrender, unsure of what the boy meant either.

“What are you rambling about Drake?”

“Marinette is very popular in France, in fact, she was so popular that the JLE took an interest in her and her team. However, she turned down their invitation for a chance at a normal life and a new start in the States. Did I get it right?”

Marinette’s face turned ashen as she took a nervous step back from the man. There was no way he could’ve known about the invitation unless he was already in the League. But that was impossible, unless..

“The States have a League of their own don’t they?” Her voice was small, but judging by the growing smirk on Tim’s face, she already knew the answer.

All of a sudden, she was seeing the Wayne boys in a new light. Her mind was spinning as she tried to place their body size and height to any of the American heroes she knew. Her eyes met Damian’s and it all crashed down on her at once.

“You’re the Bat boys, Oh mon Dieu.” She stumbled backwards, her knees hitting the edge of the couch, causing her to fall backward.

“Marinette, are you okay?” Dick took a step toward her, but it was too much, she scrambled to her feet, moving backward toward her room. Her head was spinning and she needed to get to her bed before the black dots dancing in front of her eyes took over her vision.

Damian stepped forward, his eyes full of concern for the retreating girl.

“Marinette, let me explain.”

He gently moved his hands up in a position of surrender, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

“No no no, I left this life, I promised I’d only come back for a good reason. Don’t do this, don’t-”

Her breathing started to become labored as her vision darkened. She knew she wasn’t going to make it, but she could at least try. She reached the doorframe, four sets of worried eyes bearing down on her.

“Marinette-”

Damian lunged forward but it was too late. Her body dropped fast, her head hitting the frame and then the floor.  
… … … … … … … … … . .

Damian sat at the dinner table, his arms crossed as he stared down Tim. If looks could kill, Tim would be dead many times over again. Dick had helped him move the girl to the couch, looking over her head for any immediate lumps, but luckily finding none.

“Will you cut it out? How was I supposed to know she would react like that?”

“You mean you didn’t do your homework Timmy boy?”

It was Tim’s turn to cut a glare at Jason.

“I did do my homework. When Bruce started making efforts to form friendly bonds with the JLE, I was quick to study their heroes and their inductees. Ladybug was the number one inductee, her team following close behind her. They only knew Marinette’s identity due to her position as Guardian, but she refused to tell them about any of her teammates, giving them the choice to join or not.”

“What is she guarding?”

“They’re called the Miraculous, they’re magical jewels that help harness the power of deity’s to give their wearers the ability to combat evil and injustice in the world to maintain balance.”

Damian glanced over at his soulmate, laying on the couch, still out cold. Of course, she was a Guardian. As if she didn’t have enough stress in her life between her design deadlines, her apartment rent, her school. But no, she was given the responsibility to oversee magical deities as well.

“What else do you know?” Damian’s eyes didn’t tear from her limp body, worry etched into his face.

“She was given her Miraculous when she was thirteen when a terrorist named Hawkmoth appeared in Paris. It started out just her and her partner Chat Noir, but as the akumas became stronger, she had to enlist the help of other heroes. When she turned 15, her mentor disappeared, likely to be presumed dead and she was given the title of Guardian, taking his place. That’s how the JLE discovered her identity; they have always known about the Miraculous and who had them, but they only discovered the threat when she became Guardian.”

“Wow, poor girl.” Dick sent a look of pity at her, shaking his head.

“I know right? What self-respecting terrorist would call himself Hawkmoth?”

“Tim, focus. Tell me the rest.” Damian turned his attention back to his brother, urging him to continue.

“Right, So she and her team eventually defeated Hawkmoth three years ago, on the equivalent of their senior year but it came with many problems. When they removed his Miraculous, it was revealed that Gabriel Agreste was the terrorist. He managed to evade imprisonment-”

“How the fuck did he manage that?” Jason leaned forward, his interest and anger peaking.

“He’s rich, what can I say? You know the justice system is always easier on the men with deep pockets, look at Lex Luthor.”

All four brothers shook their heads, each angry in their own ways.

“After his trial, Where did he go?”

Tim narrowed his eyes at Jason, knowing exactly what the man was implying.

“Sorry, even the JLE doesn’t know.”

“Wait, wait, wait. You’re telling me, they let a known terrorist of at least five years just run off into the night and they didn’t even keep tabs on him? I call bullshit.”

Tim shrugged his shoulders, a grim expression on his face.

“They traced him all the way to Shanghai, but they lost him after he touched ground. It was as if he disappeared altogether.”

“Not disappeared.”

The four men whipped their heads in the direction of the couch. Marinette was sitting up, one hand rubbing her head, the other steadying her movement.

“He found the Temple of the Guardians. It only presents itself to whom it wants to enter. Once you enter though, you never leave, at least not on your own free will.”

Damian stood up quickly, to help her steady herself as she found the strength to push herself to a standing position.

“Ah, enjoy your nap Princess?”

Marinette shook her head at the smiling man.

“It’s been a long week full of surprises, I just don’t think my mind could handle this new– information?”

“Hey, nobody’s judging here. We’ve all had our fair shares of passing out.”

Damian shot a glare at his brother as he helped her into the chair at the table.

“I’m sure you have many questions Marinette.” Dick gently placed his hand on hers, his usual warm smile taking over her face.

The girl shook her head as carefully as she could, her eyes darting from each brother to the next.

“The less I know, the safer you all are. Me knowing that you are a part of this life is already dangerous enough.”

“Nah, we trust you Princess. It’s no big deal.”

Marinette raised her eyebrow at the boys. Damian thought she was too trusting and forgiving, yet here his brother’s were, ready to tell her their secret identities without even knowing her for a full 24 hours.

“I have a question though. If you’re the Guardian, why did you let Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Ryuko keep their Miraculous’ and join the JLE?” 

Tim leaned forward, curiosity dancing in his eyes.

“They were trustworthy partners over the years, never giving me a reason to strip them of their titles. Besides, if anything were to happen to prove me otherwise, I not only have the full support of the JLE to strip them, but my old teammates as well that chose not to join.”

“Like Chat Noir, Abeille and Viperion?”

She nodded, her eyes hardening as she sized up Tim.

“Just how much do you know about my teammates? I didn’t like my identity getting out and it was my intent to keep theirs a secret as well.”

“I only know what was in the JLE database. So, Carapace, Rena Rouge, and Ryuko.”

A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she felt the hot stares from the boys burning her from every side. With a sigh, she lowered her head into her hands, trying to ignore the concern and pity she was receiving.

“If I were to help you with this ‘family matter’ what would you need me to do?”

Tim’s expression brightened to one of victory as everybody’s eyes turned to his.

“We are going to attend the Lex Luthor Christmas Drive.”


	10. Chapter 10

Marinette locked the doors to the bathroom, collapsing against the sink, barely holding herself together. It had been a rough two days, Damian’s brothers crashing where they could to catch a few hours between planning their covert mission.

Three days. That’s all she had to properly grieve her parents. Two days. That’s all she had till Adrien and Chloe returned from Paris.

Her head fell to her chest, shutting her eyes tightly to avoid the tears. She had held herself high, tight smiles for every mention of family, avoiding Damian’s worry at every turn as she attempted to catch up with their grievances against Lex Luthor.

“Marinette, are you okay in there?”

She shook her head, swallowing hard before she could try to answer.

“Yeah, just need a breather. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Her ears strained to hear his feet trudge away and when she was sure he was far enough, she let out the small sob she was choking back. A soft touch on her cheek startled her, her eyes flying open. Tikki offered her a sad smile, falling into Mainette’s hands, allowing the girl to bring her up to her cheek, hugging her as wide as she could.

“I’m so sorry Marinette. I wish I could be there for you these past few days.”

Marinette shook her head, pulling back her hands to get a better view of the Kwamii.

“I understand Tikki, this is more time with you than I could’ve hoped for.”

The kwamii smiled, nuzzling into her thumb before they flew back to cover, giving Marinette the chance to wipe the tears from her face. With a sigh, she reached for the door handle, turning it slowly to open the door as quietly as possible. Slipping out of the bathroom, she plopped on the couch, avoiding eye contact with her soulmate.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him make a move toward her, only to be pulled back by Tim who demanded his full attention for debriefing. Secretly, she felt a little relieved. He had been nothing but sweet and considerate towards her, but he was also being overbearing, especially with his brother’s around.

“Tough couple of days, huh?”

Marinette’s gaze shifted to the floor where Jason sprawled out, using his leather jacket as a prop for his head.

“You could say that.” She cocked her head at the man as he sat up, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Do you need a break?”

Marinette scoffed, a small smile tugging at her lips.

“Tim demanded that everyone stay alert and ready for their turn in the debriefing circle.”

Jason shook his head, standing slowly, his eyes darting from hers to where Tim held Damian captive. Marinette opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, but she found his finger pressed gently against her lips, silencing her before she could speak. He sent her a wink as he reached for her hand, pulling her to a half crouched position as he walked backward as stealthily as he could until his heel touched the door.

He handed Marinette his leather jacket as he pulled her coat down from the rack, turning the doorknob slowly, his eyes never leaving the spot where Tim sat. When Tim looked down at the map, pointing out something to Damian, Jason flung the door open and ushered Marinette outside. Closing the door softly, he turned to her and bowed, earning mock applause from the girl.

“Thank you, thank you. It’s a talent really.”

“So what now?”

“Now Princess, we go on an adventure. C’mon, I’ll drive. We’ve got about thirty minutes before Tim notices we’re gone, and ten seconds after that before Damian chews my ass out for it.”

Marinette shook her head as she followed him down the stairs, her eyes widening at the sight of a beautiful motorcycle sitting in the entryway.

“Oh my God, don’t tell me that’s a 1993 Yamaha VMax!”

“Actually, it’s a ‘92, but you’ve got a great eye. You ride?”

Marinette shook her head, her hand trailing along the side as she admired the shine. Jason’s chuckle broke her focus as she whipped her head up, catching his smile.

“You just get cooler by the minute Marinette. Seriously, how did you end up living with the brat?”

Marinette frowned as her gaze turned back to the bike, her finger tracing the designs.

“He was tough at first, but he’s been nothing but great the past week. It was kind of weird honestly, meeting somebody as cold and introverted as him only to find out that they have a whole other side to them.”

“I make it sound like he’s the worst, but I understand your point. When he first moved into the manor, he was a complete jerk, demanding we all left or perished as we were not the ‘real children’ of Bruce Wayne. But as the years have passed, he’s grown into a more respectable guy, even taking a gracious defeat when Bruce named Tim his successor of Wayne Enterprises instead of him.”

Jason moved forward, straddling the bike as he offered Marinette his hand.

“Let’s get going, after all, we’re on a time limit and this is supposed to be relaxing for you.”

Marinette accepted his hand, swinging herself onto the back of the bike, sliding on the helmet he offered her.

“Okay Princess, hold on tight. I’m not going to be slowing down!”

Jason revved his engine causing the girl to collapse into his back, her arms tightening around his waist. She felt his laughter shake through her as he pulled out of the parking spot at full speed. For a brief moment she shut her eyes tightly, every fiber of her being preparing for the inevitable crash, but when it never came, she slowly reopened her eyes.

“This. Is. Amazing!” Her voice shouted over the sound of the wind whistling past them.

The brisk air ripped through her coat, but she couldn’t care less. The scenery blended in as they sped past, but somehow, her eyes could pick out every detail.

Sooner than she cared for, it all ended as Jason pulled into a parking lot, slowing his speed drastically to whip the cycle into a spot. Sliding off, he helped Marinette steady herself as she pulled off her helmet, her eyes glowing.

“So, what did you think?” Jason’s smirk didn’t slip past her. She knew he heard her throughout the ride with her shouts of excitement, but that didn’t stop her from sharing her joy again.

“That was amazing! Do you always feel this adrenaline rush every time you ride?”

Jason nodded, his smirk growing into a full-blown smile.

“Every single time.”

Marinette turned around in the parking lot, finally taking notice of where she was. Her excitement faded to confusion as she took in the sights.

“You took me to the midtown park?”

“What better place to sketch?”

Her eyes fell down to his hands, where he held out her sketchbook and her set of colored pencils.

“I saw them lying on the kitchen counter the first night. Don’t worry, I didn’t take a peek. I learned the hard way from Damian that a sketchbook is a sacred thing.”

For the third time today, a smile overtook her face as she reached out, accepting her materials. Moving to the closest bench, she sat down, patting beside her as Jason made his way over. Slowly she opened her sketchbook as she turned over some of her older designs. She still had one more outfit to create before her deadline and between everything, she hadn’t had much thought to spare.

“Can I ask you a question Marinette? Please, feel comfortable to say no if it’s too personal.”

She nodded, closing her sketchbook to face the man.

“How does your soulmate feel about your relationship with Damian?”

Marinette’s eyes widened slightly as she tried to deny his allegations, but Jason simply waved his hand in dismissal.

“I’m not blind Princess. The way he puts himself between anything he deems a threat, his little pet name ‘habibti’, the way he’s constantly watching your every move. Either you’re in denial or something’s holding you back, like your soulmate.”

Marinette had to hand it to him. Being the partner of the best detective in the world had its perks. She let out a small sigh as her eyes dropped, her fingers fiddling with her sketchbook.

“I had a rough week. I lost, I- uhm- I’m so sorry,” Marinette swallowed hard, accepting the odd tissue that Jason had pulled from his jacket pocket.

“Take your time.”

She wiped away the few tears before taking a deep breath.

“My parents died on their way to see me this past Friday. It’s almost been a week and I haven’t had a chance to really mourn. Damian was there when I got the call and well, he chose the wrong moment to tell me that he was my soulmate.”

Jason let out a low whistle, shaking his head.

“He never seemed to fully grasp social cues.”

Marinette agreed, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“It was tough, but in a way, I’m glad he did. I never felt so alone and him revealing himself, he gave me someone to lean on for the past few days.”

“Where are your other roommates?” Jason turned slightly to get a better view.

“They’re in Paris, visiting family before our annual Friendsmas.”

“Friendsmas?”

The smile finally took over as she searched for her phone, pulling it out to search through her photos. Leaning over, she scrolled through the photos from last year, excitement etching into her face.

“It’s a big Christmas feast and we each buy gifts and play games until we crash. It’s a relaxing way to end the Christmas season without all the crazy family matters and deadlines.”

“That sounds amazing. I had so many dysfunctional Christmas’ through my life, a relaxing one would be nice.”

Marinette smiled fondly at the picture of her friends from last year, her heart-tugging in pain at the thought of their grieving as well. She opened her mouth when a ringing cut through the air, silencing her before she could speak. Jason rolled his eyes as he silenced his phone, cutting off the sound.

“We are here to relax. Here, hand me your phone cause I know he’ll call you next.”

Sure enough, as soon as she placed her phone in his hand, Damian’s name flashed across it. She reached forward to answer, but Jason was faster. He slipped her phone into his back pocket, the vibrating dying out.

“I brought your sketchbook. You sketch, I’ll read, and we’ll go back on our own time okay?”

Marinette nodded, more excited than she cared to admit. It wasn’t much, but just maybe, an afternoon free of stress was just what she needed.


	11. Chapter 11

Thursday morning was full of tension between the group, nobody bringing up the subject of Jason and Marinette sneaking out yesterday afternoon. As Dick placed the bowls of oatmeal in front of Marinette and Damian, he tried to offer the girl a smile, but she simply averted her eyes to the floor.

“Stephanie called! She said she would be my date to the Christmas Drive. She’ll be here tomorrow morning and she can’t wait to meet you Mari.”

Tim grinned as he took a chug from his coffee mug, wiggling his eyebrows at the girl. Marinette only rolled her eyes, a smile trying not to breakthrough.

“Although,” Tim sat down his mug, his smile pulling into a smirk. “You still haven’t decided who you want to go with Miss Dupain-Chang.”

“Yeah Princess, don’t you want a handsome date?” Jason sent her a wink as he picked up his waffle, taking a huge bite.

“I think both you and Damian would be very handsome choices.” Dick slid into the seat beside Damian, batting his eyelashes between the two men.

“How do you know she doesn’t like dinosaurs like you Richard?”

Dick protested, sending the table minus Damian into a fit of laughter. Dick mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously close to ‘33 is not a dinosaur,’ but it only sent them into another fit. As they calmed down, two sets of eyes turned expectantly toward Marinette, Jason’s eyes dancing with mischief.

“Sorry Jason, a handsome date can only go so far, my date will have to be intelligent as well.”

Her eyes darted to Damian’s where she caught a brief smile flicker across his face before it disappeared. Jason dramatically fell out of his chair, tossing his half-eaten waffle at the couple. Dick shook his head as he took a bit from his own waffle, side-eyeing the two.

“Such a shame, I really thought that you and Jason would hit it off so well.”

Red began to creep up Damian’s cheeks, but Marinette placed her hand on his leg under the table, shaking her head. Tim smirked, patting Dick’s hand, leading the man to confusion.

“What? They both like fun and adventure and Marinette is badass! She’s like exactly his type!”

Tim and Jason shook their heads, plunging Dick into further confusion.

“Oh, poor naive Richard. You will learn one day, I swear.”

Marinette let out a giggle as the boys argued. She finally began to eat her breakfast, her mind at peace for the first time in a week.  
… … … .  
His brother’s finally left Thursday night, booking a hotel room to prepare for the gala on Friday. Marinette locked the front door, turning to face Damian who sat on the couch, a scowl on his face. Sinking into the couch beside him, Marinette gently prodded his side.

“What’s the mean look for?”

Damian huffed, turning his head away from the girl. He mumbled something under his breath, avoiding all advances from the girl.

“C’mon Damian, is it because Jason was flirting with me?”

Damian let out another huff, turning his full body away from her. Marinette bit her lip, trying to hold back her laughter.

“I mean he is kind of cute and only 6 years older. I’m sure me and him could make it work..,” she trailed off, her eyes trained on the back of his head.

“Absolutely not, he is a disgrace and you are MY soulmate.” Damian turned, his face completely red as his nose brushed Marinette’s from the closeness.

Pulling back, Marinette placed a kiss on his cheek, butterflies swarming her stomach.

“I’m just messing with you mon amour. Jason knows that you’re my soulmate. I’m pretty sure everyone does expect Dick.” She chuckled, reaching up to cup his cheek with her hand. Damian leaned into her touch, his hand gently covering hers as he closed his eyes tightly.

“I didn’t want them to steal you away from me, I have a problem with sharing.”

Marinette chuckled, her thumb lightly stroking his cheek.

“I’ve noticed.”

Damian opened his eyes, moving his hand to the back of her head, stringing his fingers through her hair.

“How are you feeling? I know how overwhelming this can be. I begged my father to allow me to finish my last semester here with no distractions from this life. I should’ve known better that he wouldn’t take my request seriously until the semester truly began.”

Marinette gently shook her head, concise of how soothing his fingers felt as they massaged through her hair.

“I guess I always knew that I would have to return eventually, there will always be an imbalance in the world, but some small part of me hoped that it truly was over.”

Damian nodded, his face softening ever so slightly.

“And how does this affect your chance to give your parents the proper grief they deserve?”

Marinette opened her mouth but closed it just as quickly. She wanted to scream out that the universe was just laughing at her at this point and that she felt like she couldn’t even grieve properly due to this sense of duty to help Damian’s family and consequently, Chloe and Adrien when they returned. She wanted to tell him that once she donned the costume Friday night, that she was terrified it would sink its claws back into her and that she would never get to live out this fantasy that she had created for herself. Terrified that Damian might never want to leave either and then every plan she ever had for their lives together would be ruined, all due to one night.

“Marinette, are you-”

He didn’t get the chance to finish as a rattling from the door distracted them, both falling backward as they scrambled away from their intimate position. The door flew open, two figures stepping in, tears streaming down their faces. Marinette’s face ashened as she slowly stood.

“Dupain-Chang, You are ridiculous, utterly-ridiculous.” Chloe pushed past Adrien almost tackling the girl with a hug. Marinette was too stunned to return the hug, her arms frozen at her side. Chloe pulled back, one hand gripping Marinette’s arm, the other sloppily wiping away the tears that kept falling.

“You should’ve been the one to call us. You. Not the company my mother rents the plane from. You..” Chloe trailed off as she pulled the girl in again, holding her as tight as she could.

“I’m so sorry,” it came out as a whisper as Marinette finally snapped out of it, wrapping her arms around the girl’s waist, burying her head in her shoulder.

A third set of arms enclosed the two girls as they collapsed into a pile of sobs. Marinette cried as she held her friends close, their pain reopening her still-fresh wounds. She let out days of built-up grief, relishing in the feeling of finally being able to express her pain. Five minutes passed, then ten before the group finally released each other, eyes bloodshot. Damian leaned forward, offering tissues to the group, but otherwise staying silent.

Adrien wiped underneath his eyes before pulling Marinette into his side, gently rubbing her arm.

“We got the call on Monday, but when we tried to leave, all planes were grounded due to the snowstorms. We couldn’t catch a flight until early this morning.”

Marinette shook her head, pulling back to get a better view of her friends.

“I didn’t want to ruin your holiday and I needed my own time to grief. You hopping a plane Saturday morning would’ve made me feel so much worse. But you don’t know how glad I am to see you, both of you.”

“Dupain-Chang, we loved your parents, more than our own. We would’ve grieved with you if you had let us.”

Adrien shook his head in agreement, tears welling up in his eyes again.

“I wasn’t alone in my grief, I had Damian. He’s been a big help.”

Her eyes trailed off, offering him a warm smile. Slowly he stood, moving to stand beside her, offering his hand to Adrien.

“I’m very sorry for your losses. Marinette told me how much Sabine and Tom meant to you all.”

Adrien pulled Damian straight into a hug, sending the boy into a momentary shock before he began to fidget uncomfortably, trying to pull away. Chloe raised her eyebrow at Marinette who simply waved her off, their signal to talk later.

“Okay, that’s enough Agreste.” Damian finally wiggled free, moving to stand behind Marinette as if she could shield him from the boy.

The girls giggled as Adrien’s lips dropped into a pout. Marinette gasped, placing her hand on Chloe’s arm, excitement buzzing through her.

“Do you two have any plans tomorrow night?”

“Of course I do Dupain-Chang, mother wants me to go to this charity function called a Christmas Drive to drop off a check in her company’s name. Adrikins is going to be my date. Why? Did you want to come? I can have that arranged.”

Marinette shook her head, her eyes briefly glancing at Damian’s, a smirk plastered on her face.

“No, that’s alright Chloe. I already have a date.”

Chloe recoiled, her and Adrien sharing a shocked look.

“Who?” they asked in unison, both skeptical of their smaller friend.

They watched as she gathered Damian’s hand, Marinette sharing a knowing smile with him before turning toward the blondes. Chloe’s jaw dropped as a grin stretched across Adrien’s tear-ridden face, another round of tears welling up in his eyes.

“My soulmate.”


	12. Chapter 12

“I just don’t understand, run it by me again.”

Chloe slid into their usual patio table at the cafe, pushing her sunglasses down her nose to get a better view over them.

“I wasn’t the reason that he moved in, that was just him trying to escape his family. But after a couple of days, my soulmate had drawn on my wrist and when I showed it off, it all clicked for him. Granted, he chose the most awkward time to admit he knew, but I wouldn’t change it.”

“Okay, but you realize that you literally disliked the man like three weeks ago right? And now you guys are kind of dating but neither of you has asked the other one.”

Marinette shrugged, sipping her coffee, a smirk taunting Chloe from across the table.

“The Wayne boys have that certain je ne sais quoi huh?”

Both girls turned their attention to a mischievous blonde looming over their table. Her blue eyes were dancing with excitement as her hand shot out toward Marinette. Cautiously, Marinette placed her hand in the blonde’s, letting out a small yelp as she was pulled up and into a hug from the girl.

“It’s so good to meet you! It may have been less than a week, but girl did you leave an impression on all of us.”

Letting go, the girl turned her attention to Chloe, offering her hand.

“Oh no,” Chloe shook her head, crossing her arms tightly. “You are not hugging me blondie. I don’t even know you.”

The girl smacked her head forehead with her outstretched hand, “God I am so dense. My apologies ladies. I am Stephanie Brown, the permanent thorn in Tim Drake’s side and the solution to all your problems.”

Stephanie dramatically curtsied before she slid into the third seat at the table, a smile bright across her face. Marinette stifled a giggle as she sat back down, ignoring Chloe’s piercing stare.

“Tim said you would be meeting me today! I just didn’t know it would be so soon.”

“Have you ever prepared for the Christmas Drive before?” Stephanie leaned forward, intertwining her fingers as she sat them on the table, her face switching from light-hearted to deadly serious.

Marinette opened her mouth to reply, but Chloe beat her to it.

“Of course I have, you dress nice enough to represent your company or family name, but not too fancy or the news will have a field day tearing you a new one for ‘flaunting your riches.’”

“Wow, she’s good.”

“I know,” Chloe flipped her ponytail over her shoulder, bringing her frappuccino to her lips.

“We have a full day of shopping, hair appointments, and nail appointments. I personally like to have my make-up done for me, but if you girls would rather do your own, totally no judgment. So you ready?”

Stephanie didn’t even wait for an answer as she hopped up, dragging both girls with her.

“Great! I can’t wait to learn more about you today Marinette. I want to know all about the girl who tamed the beast.”

Marinette shared a glance with Chloe as they stumbled to keep up with the girl’s fast pace. Stephanie had so much energy and they didn’t get to finish their coffee. It was going to be a long morning.

… … … … … . . … .

Stephanie was not kidding about it being a long day. By the time Marinette had stumbled into the apartment, her hair piled high on her head, and her makeup flawless, she was ready for a nap. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for her.

“Marinette! Thank God you are here! Should I go with this nice green tie that compliments my eyes? Or a purple one with subtle green accents that compliments my socks?”

Adrien thrusted the two ties in her direction, a distressed look on his face.

“Uhm- green. People are going to notice your eyes more than your socks.”

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief, rushing back to his room to finish putting himself together. Before she could take a step towards her room, a small knock on their door forced her to turn around. With a sigh, Marinette laid her dress bag across the back of the couch before returning to unlock the door.

Throwing open the door, Marinette took a long look at the stranger, her head cocking to the side.

“Hi ma’am, am I at the right apartment? I’m looking for a Damian Wa- Al Ghul?”

The man couldn’t have been much younger than her, maybe 19-20 at most, but the way he fidgeted, shifting from one foot to the other suggested she could be wrong.

“Let me see if he’s home, what’s your name?”

“Oh! That’s important, I’m so sorry. It’s Kent, Jon Kent. He’s not expecting me.”

Marinette nodded slowly as she moved backward, allowing the man into the apartment before shutting the front door. She wasn’t sure if she trusted him 100%, but she figured with an apartment full of four superheroes, they could take him out if he was some psychopath. Turning her back, Marinette treaded softly toward Damian’s room, keeping her ears trained for any movement behind her.

Lifting her fist up, Marinette hesitated. She couldn’t hear any noises from the other side of the door, not even his usual level breathing. Reaching for the handle, Marinette gently turned the knob, pushing forward into the room. Everything was neatly put into place, no signs of struggle as she had feared. Even his bed was made perfectly, no creases to be seen.

“Is there anywhere else he could be right now?”

Marinette whipped around, her fists raised, ready to attack.

“Who are you really? What did you do with Damian?”

Jon raised his hands in defense, shaking his head slowly.

“Ma’am, I am Jonathon Kent. I do not wish any harm to you, I just came to see my friend. I need to know if there is somewhere else he could possibly be right now or else he could be in danger.”

Marinette lowered her fist slightly, the gears in her mind cranking to life. There is one place, but she didn’t know this man. How could she be sure that he wasn’t lying to her? Just who did she let into the apartment?

Jon took a step forward, allowing Marinette to catch sight of a flash of black leather. Raising her fist back up, she stood as tall as she could, trying to draw the attention of the boy.

“Stay back, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Jon opened his mouth to respond right as Chat’s baton slammed into the back of his head. Marinette watched in horror as the clank of two broken shafts hit the ground. At an inhuman speed, Jon’s hand shot backward and grabbed Chat’s neck, throwing him straight towards Marinette. The two of them fell to the ground, Marinette struggling under the full weight of Chat Noir’s half concise body.

“Maybe I should be asking you the questions.” As he stepped closer, Jon’s eyes began to burn red. With little effort, he flung Chat off of the girl, paying no mind to where he landed.

Marinette tried to crawl backward, but she had no room. Her back hit the edge of Damian’s bed. Scrambling to her feet, she said a quick prayer to whatever God or kwamii could hear her as she raised her fists for what felt like her last stand.

“Where is Damian? What did Talia have you do to him?”

His hand curled around her sweatshirt, lifting her off the ground until her feet could no longer stretch to reach. She attempted a desperate swing, but he deflected her easily, his annoyed expression only hardening.

“I’m going to give you the count of three before I start singing off parts that I deem unnecessary.”

As if proving a point, he turned his red eyes to the nearest book on Damian’s night stand. Lasers shot forward, the book turning to ashes the minute they touched. Marinette gulped, her eyes darting around for anything that could help her. Jon opened his mouth, but something caught his attention. His ears cocked as if he was listening to some invisible voice that she couldn’t hear.

His face contorted into a dark smirk, the glow from his eyes fading out.

“You know, I heard assassins were dumb, but I thought you would at least have recognized my name and knew to back off.”

His hand shot out, catching Abeille mid-air by her neck. She swung blindly, piercing his arm, but he refused to let go.

“Don’t you know that nothing can- can stop- can stop me-”

His grip loosened on both girls, dropping them to the floor. Abeille gingerly rubbed her neck, her eyes wearily watching the man stumble backward before falling immobile onto the ground. Crawling over, she helped Marinette stand, neither letting their eyes fall from the man.

“He is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Doesn’t he know that we just got our hair done! And now it’s going to be all messed up from me transforming! Who is he anyway?”

“Jon Kent, but my better guess is Superboy.”

Crouching down, Marinette placed two fingers against Chat Noir’s neck, letting out a sigh of relief when she felt a pulse.

“Abeille, how did you know your Venom would work on him?”

She crouched, leaning over the immobilized man, following his eyes as he strained them at her.

“Lucky guess? Last resort? But hey, now we now that Miraculous works on almighty heroes.”

The sound of a jiggling doorknob caused both girls to tense up. Abeille moved beside the door entryway, watching Marinette’s eyes to determine if she needed to attack. After an agonizing minute, the door finally flew open.

Damian stepped through, holding a bouquet of pink roses, his eyes darting around the apartment before he finally made it to the hallway, meeting Marinette’s. He took a step forward before his eyes caught sight of Jon’s body sprawled across the floor.

“Marinette, are you alone?” He paused at the end of the hall, carefully setting down the bouquet and slipping off his suit jacket.

Subconsciously, her eyes slipped to where Abeille stood ready, but she settled them on Jon’s body.

“I am mostly alone. There are no threats present anymore.”

Damian slowly moved down the hall, his eyes flickering from his friend’s body to his soulmate. He finally made it to his bedroom, stepping in to access the damage. Abeille stepped out, calling off her transformation to stand before the man.

He nodded, his eyes darting down toward the other body on his floor. “I assumed as much.”

Chloe shrugged, crouching down beside Chat Noir, moving his head into her lap. Damian took one more look around before gently gathering Marinette’s hand.

“Okay habibti, I want this to sound as nice as possible, but-” he took a deep breath, his eyes hardening. “What the hell happened?”


	13. Chapter 13

The apartment was in chaos. Abeille's venom finally wore off Jon who bounced up, ready to destroy every last person in the room. As he and Chloe launched into a heated argument, Adrien’s transformation fell, the boy groggily sitting up to face the two. Damian was fussing over the already forming bruises on Marinette’s lower back, ignoring the girl’s protests as he tried to search for any other injuries she would have sustained.

Adrien looked between his roommates, his head pounding as the noise increased. With a groan, he pushed himself to his feet, stumbling straight into Chloe.

“Can you guys just shut up for one moment?” Propping himself on her shoulder, Adrien steadied himself, surprised at the silence that ensued.

“Thank you. Now, first things first, I’m sure everyone has questions.”

“Yeah, like what the hell do you guys want with Damian? He told his mom he was done with this life. And what kind of magic bs did you stick me with? I’m supposed to be invincible.”

Adrien raised his eyebrow at the boy. For someone who thought he was dealing with assassins, he was quick to give up a lot of information.

“Or how about ‘why did you attack my best friend?’Can you answer that one you big mule?”

“Mule?” Jon looked from Chloe to Damian, unsure if he needed to be offended or not.

“Or, We can start with why you are here Jon? I told father that I did not need back-up.”

Damian sent a pointed look in the boy’s direction, his arms crossed in slight annoyance. Jon rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, an awkward smile stretching across his face.

“To be fair, your dad didn’t ask me to be here. My dad did when he heard the Wayne Boys would be donating on behalf of their father this year. He knows you have something planned, and I’m supposed to, uh-”

“Spy on me.” Damian pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyebrows furrowing. “And how did you think that would work Kent? I am the best assassin on this planet, regardless of what Drake will say.”

As the boys continued bickering, Marinette felt her stomach drop. She knew that Damian had a rough childhood, but being raised by assassins? An assassin named Talia at that. The gears in her head began to turn, slowly at first but as the rust shed, everything hit her at once.

Talia Al Ghul. As in the assassin that tried to destroy the Guardians nearly 70 years ago. If only she could remember the group’s name. Master Fu told her so many times to beware the Al Ghul’s, but she never thought it would be relevant. So much so, that she let one move in with her.

Her face paled as she stared at the back of Damian’s head. This whole time she had the box with her, hidden in a secret compartment in her and Chloe’s closet. Granted, if he was who she believed him to be, that wouldn’t mean anything.

“You guys, we can talk later. We have to finish getting ready. We’re already looking at being thirty minutes late and you know how Tim will get if we derail his plan before it takes place.”

She forced a friendly smile as she gently pushed Chloe and Adrien out of the room and in the direction of her own. She was so close, her heart pounding in her ears. Adrien had stepped foot in the room first, Chloe behind him. Breathing a slight sigh of relief, Marinette stepped one foot in when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.

Her whole body stiffened as she whipped her head around to meet Damian’s eyes. She tried to offer him a smile, but she felt it wavering.

“Angel, I know how this all looks and sounds-”

Marinette wanted to laugh. If only he really knew how it looked, he wouldn’t be trying to calm her down at the moment.

“-I promise, I’ll explain everything later.”

Marinette managed a nod as he placed both the bouquet and her dress bag in her arms. With his free hand, he stroked her cheek sending a thousand volts through her body. He stepped back, allowing her to shut the bedroom door, clicking the lock into place.

“Dupain-Chang, what was that? I had so many questions for them-”

Marinette slammed her hand over Chloe’s mouth, placing a finger over her lips. She nodded to Adrien who pulled out his phone and connected it to the speaker on her nightstand. Pressing play, Marinette slowly pulled back her hand, reaching for a small notepad.

‘Super Hearing.”

Chloe huffed as she snatched the notepad from the girl’s hands, scribbling quickly.

‘What does that have to do with anything?”

Marinette glanced at the door, lightly shaking her head. Gently taking the notepad from her, Marinette bit her lip, her eyes sub concisely glancing at the closet.

‘I never made the connection, but Al Ghul is the family that tried to attack the Guardians. We let an Al Ghul into the apartment where we have the Miracle Box. Superboy might not know the connection, but I bet you Damian does. We can’t let him know where it’s at.’

Marinette handed them the notepad before she moved toward her dress bag.

“C’mon you guys, help me with my zipper!” She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice as she waited for them to finish reading.

Slipping into her dress, Marinette turned to face her friends, their faces as ashen as her own. Adrien took a step forward, yanking the zipper up in a frigid manner. Without another word, they moved as a system, doing their best to salvage their hair and make-up. With one last nervous glance at the closet, the trio stepped out of the room, smiles gracing their faces.

“Woah, dude your girlfriend is so pretty.”

Damian elbowed Jon as he moved forward to offer his hand to Marinette’s.

“Shall we?”

She didn’t respond, her face still as pale as when he walked in. She simply smiled and accepted his hand, her eyes darting between him and her friends. Damian frowned, trying not to take it personally. After all, he probably would’ve been freaked out if he thought someone was there to attack her as well.

Pulling her into his side, Damian nodded to the others, trying not to let worry creep into his expression.

“Let’s get going then. We have a party to catch.”  
… … … … … … …

“This is amazing! Dames, why have you never taken me to one of these things before?” Jon had taken one step into the building before his jaw hit the ground.

“So many reasons Kent..” He flashed a smirk at Marinette who simply shook her head, still avoiding his eyes.

Damian slowed their pace until they were a noticeable difference from them and the group. He gently pressed against her wrist, feeling her heartbeat increase as the distance grew. Instantly, his heart sank to his stomach. He knew the minute she found out about his past that she would run. It’s one thing to have a superhero soulmate, it’s another to have an assassin.

Leading them to a less populated corner of the room, Damian paused to move in front of her.

“Marinette, I just want to explain things from earlier-”

“What? There’s nothing to explain! Everyone has a past, It’s no big deal, I mean sure, your friend overreacted a bit, but-” She continued with her ramble, but Damian waited patiently for her to finish.

“-so yeah. No need to explain! In fact, we should go find Tim and Steph!” She attempted to sidestep him, but he gently pulled her back.

“Marinette, please.” His heart ached at the panic that crossed her face, but he couldn’t let her leave without explaining. “I left my mother completely when I was 13, I have not completed an assassination since I was 10. I’ve been training to undo all the damage she has done since then.”

“Damian-” He shook his head, refusing to let her push the issue down.

“Angel, I promise you. I don’t kill. I-”

“It’s not about your past Damian! It’s about your mother!” Marinette slammed her hand over her mouth, her eyes as wide as his.

“What about my mother? Marinette, I haven’t talked to her in 10 years-”

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

Damian froze up, his thoughts running a mile a minute. He couldn’t be this unlucky. They weren’t supposed to run into him until later. This was going to derail their entire plan. Marinette was already mid curtsy when he turned, a smile stretched thinly across his face.

“Mr. Luthor, a pleasure to see you again.”

Damian gave the man a curt handshake, trying his best to block Marinette from the man’s view, but it was to no avail. Luthor’s snake-like grin shook him to his core as his eyes zeroed in on Marinette.

“Mr. Wayne, would you mind if I stole your beautiful date for a dance?”

He wanted to scream that he would never lay his hands on Marinette, but he knew it was riskier to deny his curiosity than it was to feed it. Glancing back at Marinette, she hesitated. Her face was unreadable as she gave him an uncertain nod before he turned back to face the man.

“By all means.” Damian stepped aside, allowing Lex to sweep his soulmate away on the floor.

No longer maintaining his smile, his face contorted into a scowl. Damian reached to his ear, lightly pressing the radio that was positioned there.

“Tim, I have a problem.”

“What is it baby bird?”

Damian’s eyes trailed after his soulmate took off, his scowl deepening when he couldn’t find her.

“Lex Luthor has Marinette. Lex Luthor has my soulmate.”


	14. Chapter 14

Marinette wasn’t sure what to think about Luthor.

Sure, on one hand she had listened to the boys for days go on about how awful of a person he was, but they failed to mention his many humanitarian groups he supported and even started. She wasn’t naive. Even Gabriel Agreste donated millions to charities and research projects in France. Just because a person had psychopathic tendencies, it didn’t mean that they didn’t want the best for their country, they just wanted the best under their supervision.

“As you can see Ms. Dupain-Chang, this Drive is my most successful fundraiser of the year. Something about the Christmas spirit just makes people want to generously donate.”

She was truly impressed, but something about his sly smile sent shivers down her back. He had led her past the dance floor and into an off-limits hallway. The sensible part of her wanted to turn back now, but the curiosity was eating at her the further they walked.

“Mr. Luthor, if you don’t mind me asking,” she waited for him to nod before she continued, “Where are you taking me? We passed the dance floor quite some time ago.”

“Ah, well I very well could not discuss business on the dance floor, now could I?”

He didn’t offer her a chance to respond, choosing instead to pull forward, causing the smaller girl to half-jog to keep up with the man. After another minute of silence, they finally arrived at a small door at the end of the hall. With a snap of his fingers, the guard opened the door for the two to walk through.

Marinette did a half-spin around the room, taking in the space. It was a large business office with an oval shape table positioned in front of the floor to ceiling window. Two chairs sat in front of the table as Lex moved forward, motioning to them for her to take a seat. She sat down, watching him drift to the other side of the table, his eyes never leaving hers.

“Ms. Dupain-Chang, are you aware that you are talented?”

“I suppose so.” She felt the red creeping into her cheeks, but she couldn’t focus on it. Not when his smirk was so unsettling, growing at every bit of color that took over her face.

“I mean it Ms Dupain-Chang. I have been following your work for two years in Mrs. Amanda Brookes Workshop. You’ve had several big names vying after you, is there a reason you have not accepted any of their positions?”

“I wanted to build my own name. If you enter with the big names, it’s harder for you to stand on your own because everyone will only ever take an interest in who you came from, not your work.”

Lex nodded, like he was considering her words carefully. Leaning forward, he clasped his hands together, making the girl jump slightly in her seat.

“I want to make you an offer Miss Dupain-Chang.”

“What kind of offer?”

Luthor tutted at the girls he slowly pushed himself into a standing position.

“I want to be your sponsor, pay for your designs, take, let’s say 5%? of the commissions. How does that sound?”

“Like it’s too good to be true. Why would you want to sponsor me?”

He let out a harsh laugh causing goosebumps to form along her arms. He glided around the desk until he was standing in front of her, a mischievous smile tearing across his face.

“I like you. You’re very perceptive Miss Dupain-Chang. In return for my sponsorship, I would like you to spy on the Waynes for me.”

“I can find another sponsor.” Marinette stood quickly, turning her back to the man.

“You could, but do they have the connections I have? Do they have the money I have? Will they be willing to take so little for such a big risk? Tell me Marinette Dupain-Chang, can you afford to turn down my offer?”

His words caused her to stop in her tracks. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, but fear was the most prominent. He had a point; many other sponsors would take at least 20% of her commissions, if not more, and would expect high-end results in small timelines. Luthor took her hesitation as a chance to strike.

“What have the Wayne’s ever done for you Miss Dupain-Chang? They had every chance to sponsor you, but they didn’t. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if you last throughout the Christmas season.”

With a snap of his fingers, Luthor’s assistant brought over his tablet, the screen already showing the photos from last year’s gala. He stepped in front of Marinette, sliding through the pictures, his smirk growing at her discomfort.

“Last year his date was blonde, the year before a redhead, the year before that a nice hispanic girl. You see Marinette, you are hardly the first charity case he has worked.”

Marinette bit her lip, trying to erase the image of the many different girls all hanging off his arm, but it became increasingly harder as Luthor continued his scrolling.

“So what do you say Miss Dupain-Chang, do we have a deal?”  
… … … … … … … … .

Damian was agitated to say the least.

He knew he shouldn’t have agreed to the dance, but saying no to Luthor was almost as dangerous as saying yes.

“Steph, tell me you have eyes on her.”

“Sorry dude, she’s gone.”

Damian growled in frustration as his eyes tore across the room. She had to be here somewhere, people don’t just disappear.

“You seemed distressed Mr. Wayne, may I suggest the punch? It’s pretty good if I do say so myself.”

Damian resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he forced a smile to his face, turning to face the man.

“Ah, if it isn’t the boy scout of Metropolis, tell me, Superman, what are you doing at a Drive like this?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Wayne. Doesn’t your father usually attend these functions?”

Both were smiling at each other, but the frost was evident in the air.

“He was busy, much like you should be, patrolling your city.”

Superman let out a burst of icy laughter, one he typically reserved for Lex Luthor, it almost chilled Damian.

“You have spunk kid, but seriously, I know you’re not here for the Drive. So were you tasked to watch me or him?”

“I have the slightest clue as to what you mean boy scout. I do hope you have a pleasant evening.”

Superman reached out, but Damian was quick, dodging underneath his hand. He sent him a half-wave as he continued his search across the floor.

“Baby bird, left hallway, blocked by two guards, your little roommate is exiting it with Luthor. They seem awfully chatty.”

Damian rushed over to where Tim described only to find what he feared most; the two of them on a first-name basis. Marinette noticed him instantly, waving him over with a huge smile on her face.

“Damian, you didn’t tell me Lex was such a delight! He’s great!”

“Oh you flatter me Miss Marinette, I am simply a good host. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must attend to the rest of my guests.”

Luthor lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a light kiss on her knuckles before he was swept away into the crowd. Damian took a step forward, but a light touch on his shoulder stopped him. He turned into her arms as they wrapped around his waist.

“What did Luthor want with you? I swear I will skin him alive.”

Marinette let out a bubbly laughter as she tightened her grip around him.

“Don’t worry mon amour, it was nothing, nothing at all.”


	15. Chapter 15

“Well that was a disaster!”

Tim threw his tie on the coffee table, his face as red as Marinette’s dress. Stephanie tried to place a calming hand on his shoulder, but he brushed her off, pacing the floors in anger.

“You had one simple job Marinette. Go unnoticed as Damian’s date and when Superman stepped up to donate the Justice League’s check, you were supposed to sweep in as Ladybug and cause a commotion so that I could slip into Lex’s office. ME, not YOU, go into his office.”

“I’m sorry Tim, it wasn’t my intention!”

“I’m sure it wasn’t, but the problem is that it still happened. Now, you’re going to sit here and you’re going to tell me everything that happened.”

Marinette hesitated looking between Tim and Damian, before she slowly moved to sit at the table. She opened her mouth but was cut off by the sound of Tim slamming his hands on the table.

“STOP STALLING!”

“Back off dude,” Jason stepped between the two, shoving Tim backward.

“She’s hiding something ‘dude’. I can tell, ever since she came back from her meeting with Luthor.”

“You can’t interrogate her like some common criminal, she’s-”

“Damian’s soulmate, so what Todd? If she’s holding back information, it means nothing.”

Damian placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder, trying to be a calming presence while the men bickered, but he felt his own nerves on a frayed end. His eyes darted downwards to where Marinette sat, fidgeting underneath his touch. Her face remained stoic, but her body twitched nervously every time the men raised their voices.

His face hardened.

“That’s enough, both of you.” His voice was quiet and steady, everyone silencing immediately.

Tim opened his mouth, but one stern look from Damian and he shut it just as quickly.

“Both of you leave. Tim, you have Stephanie that you should be spending time with. Jason, I don’t care where you go, but don’t stay here.”

“But-”

“I said go Tim.”

They stared each other down, neither budging in their position.

“Fine.” Tim’s voice was icy as he trailed behind Jason and Steph, slamming the apartment door shut.

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose, keeping his back turned to Marinette. The silence hung thick in the air, eating him to his core, but he was more scared of what she was going to tell him if he asked.

“Thank you.”

Thank you? That’s all she could say? Those were the words of someone who was hiding something, not someone who was truly innocent. His heart clenched at the words.

“Damian, I-”

“You what Marinette?”

She shrunk under his harsh glare, immediately dropping mid-sentence. She opened her mouth to try and start again, but she couldn’t.

“Marinette, What happened between you and Luthor? What did he say that had you throw off the entire plan? What did you say that made him leave the Drive early?”

She bit her lip, trying to find the right way to phrase their conversation, but she couldn’t find the right words. Damian sighed, pulling a chair out from the table.

“Please, habibti, give me something.” He hated begging, but she was holding back and was obviously too scared to let him in. Luthor threatened her with something, he just needed to find out what.

“Damian, I need you to trust me. What Luthor and I talked about, it had nothing to do with the mission. I didn’t endanger anything. He just offered me a sponsorship-”

“Marinette you can’t trust him! He’s nothing but a scoundrel, only trying to exploit you because of your connection to me.”

Marinette was taken back by Damian’s statement, her face slightly reddening at the thought.

“I’m good enough to be noticed by a big name like Lex Luthor!”

“That’s not what I’m saying habibti-”

“Don’t habibti me.” Her face was fuming, tears of anger brimming into her eyesight.

The silence had returned between the two of them, strangling the words they both wanted to say until it made its way to their throats, both choking on any apologies that could’ve been made. Marinette stood, collecting the small train of the dress as she made her way toward her bedroom.

Damian’s eyes trailed after her, frozen on her back, his heart slowly clenching tighter inside his chest. His mouth opened and closed several times until he finally gave up, pressing his lips tightly together. She slowed as she reached the entrance, one hand resting on the doorframe as she looked over her shoulder, meeting his eyes.

“I didn’t take his offer at a sponsorship, just gave him my business card in case he wanted an original. Just so you know.”

And with that, she shut the door to her bedroom, leaving him to sink further into his seat at the table, giving in to the distress he felt in his heart.  
… … … … … …

“Dupain-Chang? What are you doing here? I figured you would have permanently moved into Damian’s room.”

Marinette rolled over to look at Chloe, not even bothering to hide her bloodshot eyes. The girl let out a soft sigh as she sat on the edge of Marinette's bed, moving her hand to stroke her friend’s hair. Chloe waited, not pushing her to talk, but continuously snaking her fingers through Marinette’s hair, trying her best to be a calming presence. 

“I-” Marinette tried to speak, but her voice croaked. Taking a moment to clear it, she tried again. “Luthor offered me a sponsorship today. He was willing to take only 5% of profit and was going to sign me before I put my portfolio out in a couple of weeks.”

“That’s great Mari, but?”

The smaller girl let out a sigh, pushing herself up into a sitting position, pulling her knees to her chest.

“But he wanted me to feed him information on Damian’s family in return. He tried to convince me that they’ve given me no reason to be loyal to them and he’s not wrong, I mean hell, I’m not even sure if Damian is here because of me or because of the Miracle Box. But it’s not right Chloe, that’s not how I want to make my name in this business, not on blackmail and espionage.”

Chloe nodded along with her reasoning, her face contorting into a frown.

“But that’s not the reason you’re crying is it?”

Marinette shook her head, biting her lip in thought.

“I don’t really know why I’m crying, to be honest. I’m just-” she couldn’t place a word on what she was feeling, all she knew was that she hadn’t felt this pain since her time at Collège Françoise Dupont.

“I think the word you’re looking for is overwhelmed.” Chloe placed a hand on Marinette’s knee, offering her a sympathetic smile.

“You barely finished the semester only for you to find your soulmate and lose your parents on the same day. Then you also have this deadline over your head that is almost complete, but you haven’t had the time to drive it home. We also can’t forget that you haven’t had to worry about the superhero life in three years and now you’re being thrust back into it with a soulmate that could either be your ally or enemy. That’s a lot Dupain-Chang.”

Marinette felt a single tear roll down her face as all her thoughts jumbled around her mind, each fighting for her first and foremost attention. She hadn’t even called her Nonna or her granddad to tell them the news. She hadn’t made plans for her own parent's funerals. She had been selfish, pushing their deaths down until it was slowly eating at her from the inside.

Then she finds out that her soulmate is living right down the hall and they haven’t even had a chance to talk about what they wanted from this. She leaned on him for support and then they were thrust into a mission, his brother’s constantly around for days. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, a part of her was scared, terrified even that he could be here for her as the guardian, this soulmate thing just causing him a minor inconvenience.

And Chloe was right. She had finished her portfolio and two of her three designs, but she hadn’t even started her third. God, when did things become so complicated?

“Chloe, I think-” she paused to swallow down, leveling out her voice. “I think I need to have a funeral for my parents. I can’t do anything else until I know they are home, where they belong.”

Chloe’s smile stretched thin as she gently rubbed her friend’s kneecap.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea Marinette, we can fly-”

“No,” Marinette shook her head harshly, her voice louder than she meant it to be. “We drive to New York and only fly when we have to.”

“Okay Mari, we’ll drive to New York. I’ll call the coroner tomorrow and have him prep the bodies for flight. The lawyers will be ready to meet us the minute we set down in Paris on Sunday okay? Adrikins and I will take care of everything, you only worry about calling your Nonna.”

Marinette let out a harsh laugh, surprising both of them.

“That’ll be a challenge all on its own.”

Chloe chuckled, shaking her head at the girl. As her laughter faded away, Chloe’s face fell grim, her eyes boring holes into Marinette’s.

“I know this isn’t the best time, but if we’re going to leave tomorrow, I need to know. Are you going to take him with us?”

Marinette began to shake her head no, but something stopped her. Hesitation clouded her face as she slowly reached over to the pen on her nightstand. The blonde nodded as she watched her movements, standing briskly.

“I’m going to go tell Adrikins. Take your time.”

As she shut the door, Marinette placed the tip of the pen on her forearm.

_“There’s a 24-hour coffee shop down the street, can you and your brothers meet me there in half an hour? We need to talk.”_

His response was almost immediate, slight relief flooding through her heart.

_“Of course Angel, Do you want a ride?”_

_“Yes, and Damian? I’m sorry”_

She stood, slipping a sweatshirt over her pajama shirt, and a pair of jeans over her shorts. Taking a deep breath, she opened her bedroom door to find him already waiting in the living room, his eyes as puffy as hers. He stood when he noticed her, taking an awkward step forward, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

“Me too Marinette. I’m sorry as well.”

She nodded as she made her way to the front door, her soulmate trailing on her heels. As she stepped outside, she shuddered from the icy air.

The night was cold, but it was soon to be much cooler.


	16. Chapter 16

  
Marinette couldn’t figure out where she wanted to start. There was so much she wanted to ask him about, so much she wanted to talk to him about. She wasn’t sure how much time she would have once they arrived at the coffee shop and she wasn’t sure she had the strength to begin the conversation after they were done.

“Marinette, what are you thinking about?”

His voice was so soft, so caring. It made her heart ache at the fact that it all could be an act. She let out a small sigh, dreading the conversation.

“A lot of things actually, for starters, what does being soulmates mean to you?”

Silence crept it’s way into the air, striking Marinette’s heart through its core. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked, I just know we haven’t had a chance to talk about it and -”

“No, no, no, please don’t apologize, your question just took me by surprise. You’re right, we haven’t had a chance to talk.” He paused, trying to choose his next words as carefully as possible.

“I think it means someone to spend the rest of your life with, someone who is not your exact match, but that compliments you in the areas that you may lack in life. I believe they should be romantic, but there is no reason why it couldn’t be platonic. A soulmate is a support system.”

Marinette bit her tongue, trying to hold back her retort. He answered her question and avoided it all at once.

“But what does that mean for us?”

Her eyes glanced over at his reddening cheeks as he tried to stutter out a response.

“I mean- I would uh- we could uh- I mean I would like to be romantic- or uh- try to be.”

“I would like that very much.”

He breathed out a sigh of relief, a smile slightly stretching across his face. A comfortable silence filled the car, but it was only momentarily.

Her light heart grew heavy as she dove headfirst into the question that had been eating at her for the past few hours.

“Damian, do you know how I get my powers?”

“Sure, your miraculous, your earrings. They’re a gateway for small Gods to share their powers with mortals.”

Marinette sucked in a sharp breath, trying to shake the uneasiness she felt at his answer.

“Damian I,” she began level, gathering a stray piece of hair with her finger, absentmindedly twirling it. “I never told you that. How do you know so much about my miraculous?”

She watched his face carefully, looking for any indication of shock or slip that would confirm her worst fears, but he remained stoic, a slight frown replacing his smile.

“I grew up in the League of Assassins, as I’m sure you already knew. It was my mother’s goal to destroy your Order of Guardians and burn all but one box of Miraculous. Her and Grandfather believed they could use the jewelry to bring their own kind of order to Earth.”

He paused for a moment, letting her take in the information, only continuing when he felt she was ready.

“Of course, I was raised to assassinate any Guardians I came across, but that all changed on my tenth birthday. It was too dangerous in the League and my mother needed someone to dishevel my father’s work so that she could manipulate him into doing her bidding. So she dropped me off at his doorstep to raise. It ended up being her downfall. For once in my life, I had a family. It was rough at first, but as time passed on, I made meaningful connections.”

He paused to take a deep breath, his face looking pained as he continued.

“Then I died. When I was brought back to life, I was given a second chance, only to have my father die. Grayson raised me and cared for me more than my own father had when he was alive. When he was brought back to life, I no longer yearned for his approval. It was around that time that my mother and grandfather were killed.”

Marinette opened her mouth to apologize, nausea and guilt eating her up, but Damian simply shook his head.

“Don’t even think about apologizing. It was a fair question. I imagine you are worried for the safety of your tiny Gods. Well, I can honestly tell you that I had no idea who you were until Tim outed you and I have no intention of misusing the Miraculous for any purpose or family matter. It is my word.”

The nausea slowly sank in her stomach, but the guilt still sat in her tightening chest. God, how could she think her soulmate would steal the Miracle Box? They sat in silence for the rest of the drive, Damian only speaking as he placed the car in park outside the shop.

“Marinette,” he placed his hand on her arm, causing the girl to turn her attention from the window to the warmth coursing through her. “I know all this is new, but I promise, I will never knowingly place you in danger or make myself a danger to you. If you ever feel like I am, please just let me know.”

She simply nodded as she reached to open her door, trying to hide the tears brimming in her eyes. Stepping out into the cold air, she quickly reached up to brush them away before making her way around the car to link her arm with his. He didn’t say anything, something she was grateful for as the two of them walked linked into the coffee shop.  
… … … … … … … …

“You are an imbecile who cannot read a clock is what you are.”

Marinette sighed as she took another sip from her hot chocolate, watching as Tim and Damian laid into each other over his brothers being ten minutes late. Dick and Stephanie were still deciding while Jason stood off to the side, waiting on the poor barista who was trying to offer them everything she could.

“Well Mr. Get Out Of My House, if you would’ve just let us settle this earlier, I wouldn’t have been woken at 1:30 in the morning to be dragged to a coffee house that sells mediocre beans! I mean seriously, where are the Costa Rican beans?”

If it was any other time, Marinette might’ve agreed, but she was too tired and too agitated to deal with him disrespecting her late night spot.

“Tim? Drop it. Either drink your coffee or give it to me.”

Her eyes must’ve screamed murder seeing as he begrudgingly sank into the couch, sipping his coffee in peace. She gently reached up and tugged Damian’s arm until he sat as well, the three of them in tense silence as they waited for the others.

After another long ten minutes, Jason finally sank into the couch beside her, throwing an arm over the back of the couch, shaking his head.

“Princess, next time you want to hang late at night, can it at least be at a raging party? I’m going to fall asleep any minute now just from the vibe in here.”

“You should blame Tim, he didn’t strike me as the party type for a debrief.”

Jason chuckled as Tim’s frown deepened, only slightening when Stephanie took a seat beside him.

“Okay girly, we’re all here. So like, what’s the deal?”

Marinette sighed, setting her mug on the table in front of them, sparing a glance over her shoulder to ensure that the barista had returned to her position in the back of the store with her headphones.

“Tim, you wanted to know what made me so special that I would catch Lex Luthor’s attention, well, it was my design. I’m working on my business degree to start my own fashion empire, but I needed a sponsorship. He’s been following my work since I first came out when I was 16, focusing more on my college designs over the past two years. He wanted to sponsor me.”

“It’s Lex Luthor! He didn’t want you because of your designs!”

Stephanie slammed her elbow into Tim’s side as Jason and Damian shot him killer looks.

“What?! You all know it!”

Marinette let out a defeated sigh, raising her hands up in defeat.

“You’re partially right Tim. He wanted to sponsor me and in turn, have me spy on your family. Not just business-wise; no, he made it clear he knows something is going on between you all. I played dumb, let him tell me about your involvement with the Justice League, perhaps just as a beneficiary, but he couldn’t be sure. He wants to cut you off at your knees, but he needs proof first.”

Tim pressed his lips into a thin line, almost looking pained as he refrained from making another comment.

“Anyways, I told him I would consider his offer, after all, he showed me pretty ‘compelling’ evidence that I was just Damian’s holiday accessory.”

It was Damian’s turn to press his lips into a thin line, but his eyes told everyone how he felt about the comment.

“He gave me an untraceable phone that I dropped in the nearest trash can at the Gala and before you get hot-headed Tim, I did it so that he couldn’t track me meeting up with you all or track me to my apartment. There are too many risks to go into business with a known villain.”

“But you don’t understand Marinette! We could’ve been feeding him information! You could’ve gone undercover as a double agent!” Stephanie tried to pull him back down, but he was too heated as he loomed over the table at the girl.

Damian stood, his hands curling into fists at his side, but a gentle touch from Marinette stopped him. Calmly she stood, crossing her arms as she strained to keep her face neutral.

“Tell me, Tim. When you heroes sent Artemis undercover to work with Black Manta, how well did that end?”

A chill atmosphere crept in as all five faces around her fell, all recounting the tragedy of Wally West. Marinette nodded as she stood a little taller, her cool eyes never wavering.

“And tell me, Tim, Why are you so willing to risk my life? The life of my friends? My whole future career? Why were you so willing to out my secret identity to not just Damian, but your entire family?”

Tim opened his mouth, but she refused to let him get a word out.

“No, I don’t want your excuses. If you hacked my profile in the JLE, then you know that I came here for a new start. The world is in balance at the moment. Equal wars and tragedy to equal good and heroes. I wasn’t supposed to don the suit unless it was an emergency or injustice. But none of that matters, huh?”

“Princess, I’m sure Tim didn’t mean-” Jason was silenced by a small hand in his face, Marinette never averting her stare.

“I’m sure he did. Tell me, Tim, you did your research before you showed up at my door. You knew who I was and what I was capable of. So Timothy Jackson Drake, can you look me in my eyes and tell me that you had no idea that my parents died three days before you arrived?”

Four sets of eyes turned expectantly at Tim, waiting for his denial. Marinette narrowed her eyes at his gaping mouth as he tried to find the right way to say it, but his words failed him.

“Tim, tell me you didn’t.” Dick leaned forward in his chair, his hand landing softly on Tim’s knee.

“Yeah, Tim. Tell him.” Tears slipped down her face, the warmth as they fell matched the rage she felt inside.

After a moment of silence, Tim finally nodded, sinking further into his chair.

“I was hoping you would understand, but I see that was too much to hope. It was necessary for the mission, you were necessary for the mission. I knew you wouldn’t turn us down, the only thing I wasn’t counting on was your relationship with Damian.”

Jason and Stephanie both stood abruptly. In silence, they gathered their things and walked out of the shop. Tim’s eyes followed their every move, even as they pulled away on Jason’s motorcycle.

“I do understand Tim. You felt it was necessary. The difference is, I would’ve never put anyone in that position, no matter the mission. That’s where you overestimated.”

Marinette reached down to gather her now cold drink. Wordlessly, Damian stood, and together, they exited the coffee shop, neither looking back.

The car ride was silent, but it was neither tense nor awkward. No. There was finally an understanding between the two, an understanding of what the past month had been leading up to.

As Damian pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex, Marinette finally spoke.

“I’m leaving in a couple of hours with Chloe and Adrien to go to New York and then Paris to bury my parents.”

Damian nodded, slipping the keys into his coat pocket before reaching over to gather her hand.

“What time should I have my bags packed?”

She gently pulled her hand out of his grasp, her eyes sliding to look out the window at the night sky.

“I can’t ask you to come, you’ll miss Christmas with your family.”

“Trust me, right now, you’re the only family that matters.”

She nodded absentmindedly, pushing the door open to feel the cold air rush in, burning her cheeks. It was nice though. A reminder that she wasn’t completely numb. A reminder that she could still feel the small things.

Damian met her at the side door, offering his hand to help her out of the car. After a moment, she finally accepted, allowing him to pull her up. And just like that, her arm wrapped around his waist, his draped over her shoulders, the two made their way up to their apartment to salvage any sleep before they began the long trip in the morning.


	17. Chapter 17

“Did you know that the drive from Metropolis to New York is only three hours and eight minutes and you have made every last second of it insufferable?”

Adrien chuckled as he stepped out of the car, his phone disconnecting from the Bluetooth the moment the door opened.

“What’s wrong Damian? You don’t like some good ‘ole country music?” Adrien did his best to draw out the syllables in an exaggerated accent, poking lightly at Damian’s arm.

“No. The music is a disgrace and so are you Agreste.”

The two boys bickered back and forth, completely oblivious to the fact that they were left behind. Chloe slung her arm over Marinette’s shoulders, giving the smaller girl a tight squeeze as they closed in on the building.

“Are you sure you want to be the one to verify their identities? Nonna said she could catch the next flight over to sign for their belongings and such.”

Marinette’s hands were fidgeting, constantly moving between twisting her rings, to fiddling with the hair tie on her wrist.

“I need to be the one to do it, Chloe. Besides, I couldn’t risk it for Nonna to fly over and then back. I don’t even like the idea of risking you all.”

Chloe bit her lip, refraining from reminding Marinette that it was a bad choice on the pilot’s part, not a frequent occurrence. If Marinette would never let any of them fly ever again, it could put a real damper on her and Adrien’s modeling careers, not to mention any future career Marinette could have as a traveling designer. But that’s not what her friend needed to hear right now.

They paused in front of the office doors, Marinette’s fidgeting increasing alongside her heart rate. She tried to take a deep breath to calm her nerves, but it felt useless. Taking a shaky step forward, she pulled the door open, the warm air from the reception area blasting her face.

“Welcome! May you please state your name and provide an ID so that we may get started?”

“Marinette Dupain-Chang.” She was hesitant to hand her license over as she stood in disbelief at the woman’s cheerful tone. Did she recognize where she worked?

“Excellent!” As the woman typed in her information, Marinette exchanged a wary look with Chloe.

“Ooh, Plane crash. That’s very tragic dear, my deepest apologies really.” She paused for a moment to hand Marinette back her license before she stood, a half-smile reappearing on her face. “Please, follow me this way to the Morgue. The identification process should take no more than a few minutes and then we can discuss travel arrangements and such.”

She took off in a fast walk, causing the girl’s to half jog behind her. At the end of the small hallway, they arrived in front of a small metal door that looked a little too much like the old fridge at a restaurant she worked in freshman year.

“Okay ladies, if you’ll wait here, I’ll have the corner prep the bodies for viewing. I’ll be right back!”

Chloe reached down to squeeze Marinette’s hand before the girl could begin her fidgeting again. Her mind was racing at the moment, a thousand thoughts and feelings overwhelming her, the worst being a small sliver of hope that the bodies she was about to view were in fact, not her parents.

“Don’t do that.” Chloe sent her a pointed look that screamed that she knew exactly what Marinette was thinking.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do. Don’t give yourself hope Dupain-Chang. This is going to be painful enough as is, but hope is going to be devastating.”

The logical part of her mind knew Chloe was right, it was only going to hurt more in the inevitable downfall. But, she just wanted to give in to the illogic part, the part that gave her hope.

The door creaked open and the cheerful woman stepped out, a less cheerful smile on her face as she held the door for the two girls. As they entered, two bodies laid out on the slabs, pristine white covers were drawn over them. The woman shut the door tightly before giving a nod to the coroner.

Slowly he pulled back the cover on the first body, and then the second. He stepped backward, allowing the girls to get a better view. Marinette felt her heart drop at the sight of her parents. If she could ignore the obvious marks of scorched sink creeping up their necklines, she could almost convince herself that they were peacefully sleeping.

She tried to nod, but it was like every fiber of her being was working against her. It felt so surreal.

“Miss Dupain-Chang? Are these bodies Tom Dupain and Sabine Chang?”

She tried once more, but her body was too stiff, too heavy. All she wanted to do was give in and fall to the ground, but even that seemed too hard.

“Yes. Those are her parents.”

Her eyes slowly moved up to meet Chloe’s who simply gave her hand a reassuring squeeze in return.

“Alright then, please follow me to the conference room so that we can discuss further details.

As the woman opened the door, Marinette’s eyes fell on the two figures that stood in the hall. With much effort, she managed to move forward, simply collapsing into Damian’s outstretched arms. The next hour flies by, the lady droning on about funeral arrangements and flight times. Marinette simply signs where Damian points her toward, feeling as though she’s signing her whole life away.

“And that’s everything! The bodies will be delivered to your private plane Mr. Agreste in exactly three hours at 12:00 pm! From there, you’ll need to leave almost immediately, will that be a problem?”

“Not at all.”

“Fantastic! Well, it was wonderful meeting you all, and of course, Marinette, we give you our deepest condolences.”

Marinette simply shook her head, her eyes still glued to the edge of the oak table, trailing over every last detail in the wood. She vaguely recognized the feeling of Damian’s hands on her shoulders, helping her stand, but it all felt so surreal, as if she was watching him practically drag her out of the building.

“Angel? Chloe and Adrien are going to gather what was left of your parent’s suitcase okay? You and I are going to get you situated in the car so that we can leave for the airport soon okay?”

He didn’t wait for a response, frankly because he wasn’t sure if he was going to get one. She leaned heavily into his side as they made their way back towards the car, falling into the back seat when he swung the door open.

Five minutes passed, then ten before her friends returned, placing two bags into the trunk of the car. Nobody spoke as the all became situated, the click of seatbelts the only sound echoing in the car. Adrien turned in his seat, reaching back to pick up Marinette’s fist. As gently as he could, he uncurled her fist, letting the chain he held slink into her palm.

He turned back, nodding to Chloe as the girl put the car in reverse, leaving the coroner’s office in her rearview mirror.

… … … … … … … … … …

Marinette sat in the cabin of Adrien’s plane, her eyes closed tightly as she tried to level her breathing to the best of her ability. Her curled fist remained clenched, the chain Adrien had gifted her squeezed tightly inside.

“Angel?”

She opened one eye to look at Damian seated in front of her, a worried expression clouding his face.

“It’s going to be okay Marinette. I promise.”

She shook her head stiffly, closing her eye once more.

“Would you like me to place that chain around your neck?”

She shook her head again, finally uncurling her fist, allowing the chain to unwind, hanging off two of her fingers.

Damian leaned forward, admiring the simplicity of the silver. Slowly, he reached forward, gently removing the chain from her fingers. Standing up, he took a few steps, urging Marinette to lean forward in her seat. Using one hand, he moved her hair to one side, draping the chain around her neck before securely fastening it in the back.

Dropping the chain, two soft clanks echoed as two wedding bands hit right above Marinette’s chest. Sitting back in his seat, he watched as her hand raised to grasp the rings, her eyes watering at the sight of them.

“I promise Marinette, you won’t be losing anyone else under my watch.”

She nodded absentmindedly, turning her attention to the window as the captain announced their descent into Paris.

Damian locked eyes with Chloe and Adrien across the aisle, all three wearing the same grim expression. They knew that getting her here was the easy part, but getting her to leave? That was a very different story.


	18. Chapter 18

Audrey Bourgeois was cold to a lot of people, but never once to Marinette. In fact, Marinette used to think that if it was an option, Audrey wouldn’t think twice about trading her parents for her and giving them Chole in replacement. As her long arms tightened around the smaller girl, her over the top sobs were starting to get on Marinette’s nerves.

“I just can’t believe you’ve been orphaned so soon. Please Marinette, if you ever need motherly advice, you can always call me. I’ve always considered you as my own.”

She pulled back, her hands resting on the girl’s shoulder for a moment before she was ushered away by the crowd.

“Your parents were wonderful people!”

“We loved their bakery, Paris will never be the same without them.”

“You poor child, I’ll be keeping you in my prayers.”

Marinette tried to let out a sigh as discreetly as possible, shaking hands left and right and enduring the occasional hug from the multitude of faces. The funeral itself was short and sweet, a piece of her heart buried alongside her parent’s grave. However, the aftermath had lasted for hours, people coming out of the woodworks to express their sorrow for her, the wave never seeming to end.

She was exhausted.

Chloe and Adrien helped entertain the lingering guests with stories and pictures they had helped select for the funeral home. It provided Marinette with some momentary relief, but it was short-lived as more people filed into the room looking to express their grief.

“Hey Princess, lovely gown you’ve got on, a little dreary for my taste but I could get behind it.”

A bitter smile stretched across Marinette’s face as she turned to face him, allowing herself to fall into his arms.

“I’m glad you came. Really. I’m pretty sure these people here could care less about me or my family.”

“That’s how funerals go. You never know how many people supposedly love you until you’re dead.”

She chuckled humorlessly as she squeezed him tighter, breathing in the smell of his leather jacket and cologne.

“I brought a few extras with me, I hope you don’t mind.”

Marinette peeked under his arm to see three more grim faces, all attempting smiles for her sake. Her eyes locked on Tim’s as he shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze.

“Of course not.”

She straightened herself, pushing a few stray hairs out of her face before taking a step forward. With the little strength she had, she mustered a smile, nodding at the three in front of her.

“Mari girl, I’m so sorry for what happened between us all. If any of us knew, we wouldn’t have let you in on the mission. It was just intel, Tim made a bad call.”

Tim nodded, his eyes looking pained at the admission.

“I forget sometimes, that there needs to be a grief period. I grew up with people who shoved their grief down until it damaged them if that’s what it meant to get the mission done. I-”

Marinette held up her hand, shaking her head at the boy.

“What’s done is done Tim, we can’t change that. I’m glad you came. It’s a bigger apology than anything you could think of.”

He stood in place, gaping for a few moments before he finally sealed his lips, nodding in agreement.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few more guests to tend to before I call it a night.”

She didn’t wait for a response, leaving them in their places as she set off to finish her rounds.  
. … … … … … … … .

Marinette sat on the damp grass, the soil staining her dress in the process, but she couldn’t be bothered to care. Hesitantly, she reached forward, her fingers lingering over the freshly engraved stone.

“Hey Maman, Papa. I, uh, I miss you.” She pressed her hand against the cool stone, relishing in the feeling of how smooth it was.

“I don’t really know what to do now if I’m being honest. I told myself that going to the States and getting my degree was for me, but you were the ones that pushed me to go. I’d still be here, in the bakery with you, not pursuing my dreams. But the more I think about it, If I had been less selfish, you’d still be here.”

She felt the lump in her throat growing with a burning rage.

“Why wouldn’t you let me stay? Why didn’t I fly back with Chloe and Adrien for break?”

Her hand began to curl into a fist, the fresh dirt clutched inside.

“Why did that pilot insist on landing? Were you so insistent on seeing me that you insisted he tried? Why did you leave me?”

The lump was too much, her breathing became labored as she tried to swallow it down. She didn’t want to cry anymore, she didn’t want to feel anymore.

“Marinette?” She felt two bodies kneel down beside her, both sets of eyes drilling into her.

“I’m so done with crying, I’m so done with everything. I should’ve been the one buried, not them. Not them-”

She couldn’t hold herself together anymore as she wretched from the sobs spilling from her mouth. A warm body pulled her into their chest, softly stroking her hair as the tears poured, soaking their suit jacket.

“Dupain-Chang, that’s ridiculous. Don’t ever wish that on yourself.”

“Let her grieve Chloe, you know she didn’t mean it.”

Marinette pushed herself up, shaking her head fiercely, the tears still pouring.

“I did mean it. I want to die.”

Chloe and Adrien stared down at her, their mouths gaping at her statement.

“Marinette-”

“Don’t Marinette me. I’m numb and in constant pain all at the same time. My thought process revolves around the fact that if I would’ve put off my portfolio for a couple of weeks, my parents wouldn’t have felt pressured to come. It’s my fault they’re dead and you want me to continue living with that fact?”

“Marinette, listen to me. You didn’t cause their deaths, an utterly incompetent pilot did.”

“Yeah, what Chloe said.”

Marinette shook her head, ignoring their pleading and reasoning as her eyes refocused on the headstones in front of her. She reached out once more, both hands resting on her parent’s final resting place.

“I’m sorry, but you couldn’t begin to understand. Just leave me here, I’ll catch up with you later.”

She waited to feel the ground shift as her friend’s stood, taking a few steps away from the gravesite. Several minutes passed before Chloe placed a hand on her shoulder, startling the girl.

“We have something to show you and afterward you can come back if you wish, and we’ll leave you. I promise.”

Marinette began to shake her head, but a second hand gripped her other shoulder and it was obvious that she didn’t have a choice. With great effort, she stood shakily, brushing off her friend’s grips. Taking a step forward, she leaned down to place a light kiss on both headstones.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Turning to face the blondes, she mustered her best straight face as they led her to the car.

“I promise, it’ll be worth your time. Damian spent a long time putting it together for you.”

Her ears perked up at the small grunt Adrien emitted from Chloe’s elbow in his stomach.

Damian had a surprise for her? She hadn’t seen him all day, only for a few moments at the funeral before he was rushed off by Nonna. Already her heart began to ache as she put distance between her and her parents, but her curiosity was piqued.

As she strapped her seatbelt into place, a small black swirl peaked out from under her sleeve. Pulling it back, Marinette gasped at the portrait that was engraved on her arm. A tear fell, and then another as her heart clenched tightly. She had been so busy today, she hadn’t noticed the feeling of her soulmate leaving a message on her arm.

But it was more than a message, much more. From her left wrist to her left elbow, he had drawn a portrait of her, her parents, Chloe and Adrien. It was exactly like the one she had shown him in their apartment.

“And that’s just the beginning Mari.”

Her teary eyes lifted to meet Adrien’s in the rearview mirror who sent her a wink as he put the car in reverse, pulling out of the graveyard.  
… . … … … … … … .

It was barely fifteen minutes before he pulled up to the one place Marinette had been avoiding since they arrived.

Her parent’s bakery.

“C’mon Mari, let’s go up through the back.”

She felt his hand on her back, pushing her forward, but he wasn’t quick enough. For a brief second, her eyes caught the sight of the memorial set up in front of the shop. Candles and flowers surrounded pictures of her parents. She opened her mouth to ask him about it but closed it immediately upon their arrival at the apartment doors.

“Are you ready Dupain-Chang?”

“I suppose so.”

With a swing of her hand, Chloe reached out to pull open the door as Adrien ushered her through. All the chattering in the room stopped as several familiar eyes landed on her, several smiles breaking through the room.

“Oh mon Dieu-” She felt her eyes tearing up for what felt like the hundredth time today, but for the first time, it was from joy.

“Kagami, Luka, Alya, Nino, my God, you guys-”

They rushed forward to meet her, arms everywhere as they all swept her into a hug, tears flooding her face.

“We tried to catch you at the funeral, but there were so many people vying for your attention. We’re so sorry Marinette, we wanted to be there for you.”

They pulled apart, each taking turns hugging her individually.

“Your soulmate is seriously the best dudette.” Nino bumped her shoulder as she turned her head to find Damian leaned up against the wall, a rare smile plastered across his face.

“Yeah, he really is.” She detached herself from her friends to engulf Damian in a crushing hug.

The chattering continued around them as her friends caught up, a few mingling with Damian’s brothers while they gave them their privacy.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for everything today habibti. Your Nonna pulled me away for legal help and when I returned, you were gone.” He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head as she snuggled deeper into his chest.

“Don’t be sorry. I needed this more than you can begin to imagine.”

“What do you mean?”

She pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes to get a clearer view of her soulmate.

“I wanted to die today, just give in and join my parents, but you spent a full day putting together a reminder of all the people worth living for.”

He didn’t respond, only pulled her back to his chest, holding her as tight as he could. She didn’t feel fixed, nor did she feel less responsible for their deaths but for the first time that day, she finally felt some peace.


	19. Chapter 19

  
“Marinetteeee, tomorrow is Christmas! Don’t you want to be back in the apartment so we can decorate and drink hot cocoa and exchange presents and-“

“And risk flying back to make this Christmas even more miserable than it already is? I don’t think so Adrien.”

She bopped his nose as she skirted past him to drop a plate of pastries off at the nearest table. Hopping off the counter, Adrien slipped a croissant into his mouth, ignoring the side glances from the other workers.

“C’mon Mari, you’ve been working in the bakery for a week now, I’m sure these nice people can handle it without your guidance.”

Marinette picked up the closest rag, wiping down the counter as she hummed away, ignoring Adrien’s pleas.

“Josephine, Sydney, help a guy out.”

Both girls shook their heads as they continued filling orders for the stream of customers rushing the store.

“Marinette,” Adrien reached out, grabbing both of her hands from the rag, forcing her to look at him. “As your roommate and best friend, please listen to me when I say, you need to go back home.”

“I am home Adrien, but if you wish to leave so bad, why don’t you?”

He knew she was just trying to be stubborn, but one look at her glassy eyes and dark circles and he found himself caving.

“Fine, keep working for now. We’ll talk later.”

She didn’t respond as she pulled her hands back, returning to the chaos of the bakery. With a sigh, Adrien shoved his hands deep into his pockets, exiting the building. Two sets of expecting eyes targeted him before the door had even completely shut.

“Well Adrikins, anything?”

He shook his head, his head falling in defeat.

“That’s it, if I have to drag her kicking and screaming I will. I cannot allow her to wallow here anymore.”

Chloe began toward the door, but was stopped by a firm grip on her shoulder.

“Let me try after her shift Chloe, the last thing we want is to upset her further.”

Chloe huffed as she shrugged Damian’s hand off, nodding in agreement. The three took one last look at her floating through the bakery windows before they set off, determined to finally bring her home.  
… … … . .… … … … .

Marinette was just finishing wiping down the last table when she heard the light bells from the entrance. Two arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close into a solid chest.

“Let me guess, it’s your turn to try and convince me to fly back tonight.”

“How did you guess?”

She shook her head as she turned into his hug, her head resting right where she could hear his heartbeat tearing through his shirt.

“Chloe came down this morning at 4 am when I was starting the morning rounds, Adrien came midday during the rush, and now here you are right as I’m closing up for the night.”

“You know they’re just concerned for you. You’re torturing yourself staying in Paris, pining over the what-ifs.”

She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of his cologne as it burned her through her nose.

“Maybe I deserve it, maybe they’re not torturing themselves enough, I mean, we’re all partially responsible and they don’t even seem to be in grief anymore. They’re over their deaths too soon and I’m worried if I leave, I will be too.”

Damian pulled back, one hand reaching up to push back a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Marinette, Chloe can’t stand near the bakery for more than five minutes before breaking down because she considers it the place she feels the most connected to your parents. Adrien can’t even look at Hôtel de Ville because that’s where he came out and your parents were the only ones there to stand behind him. They’re still grieving and being in Paris is hurting them more than helping them.”

“Then leave. As much as I don’t want them to, tell them to go. If it’s that painful for them.”

Damian tried to bite his tongue as he counted backward from ten. He really didn’t want to yell at her, but he could finally see how impossible she was being. He really had thought that the blondes were just exaggerating, but standing here now, he was beginning to rethink shutting down Chloe’s idea so soon.

“Marinette, you can still grieve if you leave Paris, you won’t forget them, I promise. Besides, tomorrow is Christmas, don’t you all have a tradition that takes place in Metropolis?”

“They can do it without me. I’m not leaving my parents alone on Christmas, I refuse to.”

“But-”

“No,” her tone dropped ten degrees as her eyes hardened. “There are no buts in this situation. They’re my parents and I refuse to leave them until after Christmas has ended. I’ll go back a week before the semester starts with or without you.”

It was silent for a brief moment as he weighed his options, debating if this was the battle he wanted to fight.

“Fine, I won’t argue with you. But exactly a week before semester starts, I’m booking a flight for all of us, including you,”

Her smile was grim, but her slight nod was the only thing he needed for the time. Releasing her from his hug, he shoved his hands into his pockets, forcing a grin to his face.

“So what else needs to be done around here so that I can enjoy Christmas Eve with my soulmate?”

… … … … … … … … … … … .

Marinette rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she walked the frozen streets early Christmas morning. Her thermos bumped against her leg as she trudged forward, the warmth giving her the extra push she needed.

As she turned the corner, the first gravestone came into sight. She took a deep breath before cutting across the grass, her eyes glued to the ground the whole time. Her feet knew the way, she had been every day the past week.

A dark-gray patch caught her attention as she slowly raised her eyes to meet three other sets. Her heart felt as though a dagger had been pushed completely through it, melting all the ice that had built up the past few days.

“You guys, what is this?”

She felt the tears well up as they confirmed what she had already guessed.

“We couldn’t do Friendsmas without you, so we brought it to you,” Adrien smiled brightly as he waved over the blanket filled with all their favorite snacks and games, a small pile of presents sat neatly on the edge between her parent’s gravestones.

“But I didn’t get you guys anything I-”

She choked on her words as Chloe slammed into her, swallowing the girl in a hug.

“The best gift is you being here with us today.”

Marinette met Damian’s eyes, his smile sending her heart into a frenzy.

Chloe pulled back, wiping her eyes in the process, careful not to smudge her mascara in the process.

“Anyways, let’s get to it, you guys. I love you all, but I’m not standing in this cold all day.”

Marinette settled into the blanket, leaning into Damian’s side as Chloe began to pop open containers across the ground.

“Thank you for this,” her voice was low as she pressed a light kiss to his cheek.

“I have the slightest idea what you mean, this was a group effort.”

She smiled as he leaned forward to grab a plate for her, her eyes watching his every movement. As he sat back, his eyes narrowed at her stare.

“Are you staring at me Miss Dupain-Chang? Is there something I can help you with?”

She shook her head giving him a light shove as she accepted the plate from his hand.

“It’s nothing at all, just glad I get to spend this day with you, all of you.”

She flashed a grateful smile to her roommates, the tears still sitting in her eyeline. But these tears were no longer sad, no, she finally knew what she could do. Paris was too painful to give her the healing she truly needed, but maybe, just maybe Metropolis wasn’t.


	20. Chapter 20

The minute the plane touched down in New York, Marinette’s phone pinged with several new messages, all from Professor Brookes. She let out a sigh as she silenced her phone, shoving it deep into her pockets. Taking nearly three weeks off and only giving herself a week to complete a final design was risky and no doubt the professor was not happy with her at the moment.

“Okay, so I think we can all agree that Adrien is off music duty for the ride back, everyone agree?”

Damian and Marinette nodded, a small giggle coming from Chloe at Adrien’s protests.

Her pocket buzzed as she slid into the backseat of Chloe’s car, catching Damian’s attention as he settled beside her.

He raised his eyebrow at the girl who simply waved him off before settling into her spot for the ride back.  
… … … … … . .

For the fifteenth time since they had arrived home, Marinette’s phone buzzed on the kitchen table, the sound catching everyone’s attention but hers.

“Okay Mari, I totally don’t know who you’re ignoring, but can you throw them a bone or something? Your phone has been going off non-stop since we left New York.”

Adrien reached over to silence her phone, but the buzzing ended before he had the chance. The screen flashed from the missed call, catching his attention as he noted the seventeen missed calls and five messages, all from Professor Brookes.

“Don’t you think you should call her back?”

Marinette continued ignoring him as she typed away on her computer, not even sparing a glance up.

“Hey, I think I’m going to dye my hair purple.”

She didn’t even flinch.

Adrien sighed as he picked up her phone once more, swiping open the message to read about whatever big commotion the professor was going on about. As he scrolled through, his eyes slowly widened, a mild panic appearing in them. Faster than he could blink, Adrien dove forward, slamming Marinette’s laptop shut in her lap.

“Dude! I was working on something important.” She crossed her arms, the anger fading as she recognized the panic in his face.

“I believe this is more important.”

For the first time in hours Marinette glanced over her phone, her eyebrows furrowing as she scrolled down the messages. Wordlessly, she stood, gathering her wallet and jacket in the process. She paused by the door, motioning Adrien to get it together.

“C’mon Agreste, we have to go prevent a murder.”

… … … … … … …

Adrien practically skidded into the parking lot, Marinette hitting the ground running before he had even put the car in park. She didn’t even bother with the elevator, taking the stairs two at a time, her panic fueling her more than anything.

Busting through the third-floor emergency exit, she managed to level her breathing before entering Professor Brookes's workshop.

“And I must say, this would be my second time approaching Miss Dupain-Chang, I am eager to see if she has accepted my offer so that we may draw up the papers.”

“Well, this is my first time taking notice of her work. After all, it was quite hard to find until her roommate sent me her portfolio prematurely.”

Marinette felt as if she could choke on the tension in the room between Luthor and Tim. Both sat in from an exasperated Professor Brookes, the atmosphere heavy with electrical charges. The professor lifted her head from her hands to answer the men when her eyes met the young designers’.

“Thank God! Marinette!”

Both men turned in their seats as the professor raced forward, practically dragging her into the office.

“Marinette, this is Tim Drake, CEO of Wayne Enterprises and Lex Luthor, CEO of LEXCorp. Both are interested in sponsoring your brand!”

Her smile was tight, not quite reaching her eyes as she sat Marinette down her chair, taking a position behind her,

“Miss Dupain-Chang, it’s a pleasure to see you again. I came to see if you changed your mind about my offer, after all, I just knew your date would force you to trash the contact method I gave you.”

He sounded so genuine that Marinette could almost believe that he meant it, but his eyes were sharp, almost threatening her to deny him.

“Of course, my apologies for not reaching out sooner but I was dealing with a personal matter back home.”

Lex nodded as if her answer was acceptable, his eyes glancing over at Tim, watching his body shift uncomfortably with his presence.

“Marinette, is it okay if I call you by your first name?”

She smiled at Tim, her head slightly moving as her eyes warily darted between the two men.

“I know we met briefly at the Christmas Drive, but after your roommate, Damian, showed me your portfolio I just knew I was going to be too late in offering you a sponsorship. However,” a small smirk pulled at his lips as he met Lex’s eyes, “it seems I am just in time.”

The emergency door flew open as an exhausted Adrien practically fell through into the room.

“Excuse me young man, but this is a closed meeting.”

Professor Brookes took a step forward before Marinette gently grabbed her wrist.

“Professor Brookes, if you don’t mind. Adrien is my top model, his input is very important to my decision here today.”

The woman nodded allowing Adrien to walk forward, taking the spot by Marinette’s side, his eyes narrowing on both businessmen.

“I suppose I should ask what kind of deals you both are willing to negotiate here.”

Lex leaned forward picking up a small briefcase from the floor. He reached inside to pull a small packet of papers out, handing them forward to the young designer.

“My lawyers have already drawn up an agreement where we at LEXCorp would only take 5% of your commission sales in exchange for your occasional-help-with my company.”

Marinette pretended to flip through the pages before handing it to Professor Brookes to look it over. Turning expectantly to Tim, she begged him to offer something that she couldn’t refuse, knowing that Professor Brookes would lay into her if she denied Luthor’s ‘generous offer’.

“Well Marinette, I didn’t come with a contract seeing as I want your decision to work with Wayne Enterprises to be your own choice, not a pressured decision.” His smirk only grew as Luthor’s lips began to turn downward. “Wayne Enterprises, no, I am willing to offer you the same 5%, but instead of doing free favors for my company, we would hire you for commissions, only asking for 5% off of your final pricing to compensate for the money we would lose in a sense. How does that sound?”

“Almost too good to be true.” It was her turn to hold back a laugh as she watched Tim’s eye narrow playfully at her.

“Well gentlemen, I’m sure you’ve given Marinette much to think about if that will be all-”

Professor Brookes was cut off by Marinette’s hand once more as she watched the girl with a renewed curiosity. She watched as Adrien and Marinette seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes before she returned to face the men, interlocking her hands on the desk.

“While I want to thank you both for coming down here today, I don’t believe I’ll need any time making a decision for my sponsor.”

Both raised their eyebrows at the girl, leaning in with anticipation.

“After considering both your offers and what you could offer me, I will have to decide to go with Wayne Enterprises. I truly believe they have my best interests in the long run.”

Her sickly sweet smile dropped quickly as Luthor’s expression turned deadly. Without another word, he collected his belongings and made his way to the elevator, never looking back. An involuntary shiver took over as she stood to shake Tim’s hand, confirming the deal.

“We’ll be sending you the contract soon Marinette, it truly was a pleasure to meet you again.”

She nodded, her mind traveling elsewhere as Professor Brookes and Adrien began the celebration, chatting excitedly with each other over Marinette’s head. Picking up the nearest pen, Marinette wrote two words on her wrist, a small smile settling into her face.

_“Thank you”_

Barely a moment passed before the tingling appeared on her wrist, a feeling she hadn’t realized she had missed.

_“It was your work that spoke for itself, I’m sorry I went through your portfolio.”_

“Marinette, Damian is seriously the best.”

Adrien leaned down to hug her side before walking off with Professor Brookes to begin the discussion of their own contract for Tim. Uncapping the pen once more, Marinette’s heart began to race as she placed the tip onto her arm. Lifting it, she bit her lip, a slight fear coursing through her. Was it the right time? The right place? Would he understand what she meant?

Closing her eyes tightly, Marinette quickly scribbled out the three words she had felt since her eighteenth birthday when he left his first message for her, the three words she had been scared to admit because it opened up a new door of possibilities and not a single guarantee.

A minute passed, then two and the sinking feeling in her gut took hold as she scattered across the room, looking for anything to erase the embarrassment she has caused for herself. Just as she managed to get a hold of the hand sanitizer, her heart dropped at the feeling of the tingling on her wrist.

Taking several deep breaths, Marinette braced herself for the rejection, knowing deep down that she had ruined the good thing that they had. Cracking open one eye, she squinted at her left arm, tears welling up at the sight of his response.

_“Marinette, I love you so much more than I could’ve ever realized. I love you. I love you. I love you.”_

Bringing her wrist closer to her face, her tears began to hit the ink, a black smudge forming with every drop.

“Marinette! What’s wrong?”

Adrien ran forward, pulling her into a tight hug, awkwardly stroking her hair like he had seen Chloe done so many times before.

“Nothing’s wrong!” She reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes, a smile so big it felt like it would break her face. “Nothing at all.”

Adrien nodded in a confused manner as he stepped back, searching her face for any signs of distress.

“Okay,” he nodded cautiously before taking her hand, dragging her toward the elevator doors. “Let’s get going then.”

As they stood in comfortable silence in the elevator, Adrien threw his arm over her shoulders, pressing a small kiss onto the top of her head.

“You know, it finally seems like everything’s falling together Marinette. I’m proud of how far you’ve come and I know your parents would be too.”

Marinette didn’t respond. Instead, she traced over Damian’s handwriting on her arm, a smile still stretched wide.

“Everything is finally together.”

As the elevator doors opened, the both stepped out, they’re minds in completely different places as they walked to Adrien’s car.

_“Habibti, we have a lot to talk about when we get home.”_

Marinette leaned forward, the butterflies in her stomach doing somersaults at the thought of seeing him, her smile felt like a permanent fixture for the first time in a while.

_“We really do.”_


	21. Chapter 21

Marinette took a deep breath before the elevator doors slid open to the workshop. Before she could even step out, a round of applause erupted from the room, causing a blush to rise up the girl’s cheeks.

“And there she is! The woman of the hour! Everyone, give a big congratulations to Marinette for signing her first sponsorship over winter break!”

The applause slowly died out as Marinette dished out small thank you’s to everyone. She took her seat in the meeting hall, pulling out her sketchpad in case anything important was said.

“As you all know, this week was your first week of classes for the spring semester, and over half of you will be graduating soon!”

Another round of applause sounded through the room as a few seniors cheered.

“Unfortunately that does mean that many of you will be leaving my workshop and entering the workforce hopefully with your head level after spending much of your college years here.” Several scattered laughter could be heard, but there was a slight sadness to them. “With that being said, on all of your workstations, I have placed several application folders that I have deemed worthy of your spots. It is up to you to finalize the decision though.”

Marinette felt her heart stop. She knew that this time would come, but she didn’t want to be the one to turn somebody down for this opportunity. She knew what it meant to get into this workshop and to be the one to turn down somebody for it-

“That will be all for this week’s meeting. Please get to work on your various projects and as always, this workshop is a priority, but don’t let me find out that some of your grades are slipping due to it!”

She clapped her hands twice and everyone scattered. Sure enough, there were three applications sitting at Marinette’s workstation, all vying for her attention. Carefully, she slid them to the side to make room for her sketchbook. Tim already had gotten her two commissions from small businessmen looking for new suits and a reasonable price.

Two hours in and she was finally satisfied with the outcome of her sketch. Her eyes kept flickering to the folders sitting on the edge of her station, begging her to open them. She bit her lip hard as her hand hovered over the closest one.

“Having trouble deciding?”

A girl leaned against her workstation wall, snapping her attention from the folders.

“I know what this internship did for me and the thought of denying someone this opportunity, well-” Marinette trailed off, her eyes falling back to the applications.

“I know what you mean. This internship practically has a job set up for me the minute I finish crossing that stage, how do you decide who’s worthy for that?”

Marinette nodded as the girl shook her head before stepping away, leaving Marinette with a renewed pain. In a quick motion, she snatched up the first folder, laying it across her desk.

Jayden Robinson. Aspiring designer. Business major. Commissioned by most people from her hometown for everything from prom dresses to wedding dresses.

A small smile crept on Marinette’s face. It was so similar to Marinette that it almost felt nostalgic looking through her application. For sure she would be a front runner. At least that’s what she thought.

Opening the second folder, Marinette felt her smile drop.

Julia Hester. Aspiring Journalist. Journalism major. Made her way to chief editor of University Newspaper by the end of her freshman year.

Marinette knew how much this internship would mean to Julia. It’s all she had talked about ever since Marinette told her she worked here. Hell, it would probably guarantee her a spot at the Daily Planet upon her graduation.

After this, Marinette didn’t even want to look at the third application, but her curiosity was eating her up.

Ashmad Batish. Aspiring counselor. Psychology Major. Managed to correctly diagnose 170/170 on a Doctoral entrance exam his Sophomore year.

Slamming all three folders shut, Marinette buried her head in her hands. The only thing she was sure of was that she was not getting any work done today.  
… … … … … … … … … … . . 

“Hey Marinette! Tell Chloe to give me back my hoodie! I don’t care about her aesthetics, I’m just cold and it’s my favorite one!”

She had barely made it one foot in the door and she was already debating if the folders inside her bag would be less trouble than her roommates.

“Noo, Dupain-Chang, tell Adrien to stop being a whiny little kid and wear another sweatshirt. This one flows with my outfit!”

They continued bickering as she slipped past them and into the hallway. Turning the knob as softly as she could, she slipped into Damian’s room where the bickering finally ceased.

“They are as insufferable as Timothy and Jason, I do not see how you have lived with them for nearly four years.”

Marinette smiled softly as she plopped on Damian’s bed, dropping her bag to the floor.

“They’re like part-time siblings, I don’t have to deal with it 24/7.”

Damina hummed thoughtfully as he sat down his book, pulling her into his side.

“How was your first day back to the workshop, Drake mentioned you already had two commissions from business partners.”

She let out a groan as she buried her face into his side.

“I barely got anything done besides the base sketch. Apparently, as a graduating senior, Professor Brookes narrows down the choices for our replacements, but we have the final say in who gets our spot. I spent all day looking over my choices and I’ve only narrowed it down to two.”

Wordlessly, Damian reached over, his hand searching for her bag. Pulling up the bag in a swift motion, he grabbed the three folders that sat inside. He took a moment to scan the options before handing her one folder in particular.

“It seems pretty obvious, Julia Hester should be your choice. Not only is she an adequate journalist, but she is in a way your friend, correct?”

“She is, but I want my decision to be fair! Not based on friendship. How do I know that subconsciously I’m only choosing her because I know her?”

Damian sat up a little further, causing her to look up at him.

“Why not both? This internship would not benefit the psychology major, nor the business major. If the girl is entering this internship to go straight to work under somebody, she will never be able to stand on her own away from the brand she goes under. That is something you explained to me. Even if you were not making the decision based on friendship, all signs still point to Julia.”

Marinette paused, her finger half risen as if she was ready to refute his statement-except, she couldn’t find a flaw in his logic. She let out a defeated sigh as she buried her head into his sigh.

“I really hate it when you use logic on me.”

She felt his laughter rumble through his chest as he pressed a light kiss to her forehead.

“How dare I?”

It wasn’t much longer until he heard her snoring, slightly muffled by his shirt. Re-opening his book, Damian began again, relishing in the warmth of his soulmate snuggled into his side. 


	22. Chapter 22

Before Marinette realized it, spring break was approaching quickly. Between the constant commissions and her school work, she had barely given herself time to sit back and think.

“-and we could leave on Friday night after your last class? Okay?”

Marinette shook her head as she turned to look at Adrien, slowly nodding to his question. He let out a sigh as he stopped in his tracks.

“You didn’t hear a word I said did you?”

“I’m sorry, I was thinking about the Grayson commission. If I finish that one tomorrow, it’ll give me Friday morning to pack. Are we leaving Friday night?”

Adrien smacked his forehead, dragging his hand down his face. Marinette counted to five before he responded again.

“Yes, sounds great. Now, we only plan to stay the weekend in Paris, then we’re flying to Puerto Vallarta. Do you and Damian want to come with us or would you prefer to stay the whole break in Paris?”

Marinette opened her mouth to answer but shut it just as quickly instead. Her eyes bore forward as a Metropolis Weekly Magazine caught her attention. She took a step toward the rack, ignoring Adrien’s protests. With shaking hands, she picked up the first issue, reading and rereading the title over and over again.

“Marinette, I swear-” Adrien trailed off as he reached where she stood, his eyes trailing down to her hands.

_**Luthor’s Prodigy Spills All: Wayne’s threaten to blacklist up and coming designer to avoid her working under the philanthropist.** _

“Marinette, that looks just like you.”

She was looking at the cover of the gossip column, her face plastered across half the page, Luthor’s on the other. Except, she never did an interview with Luthor, she never even talked to Metropolis Weekly.

“This is bad Mari, the Wayne’s are going to face a huge backlash, not to mention, you could lose all your business.”

Marinette looked up to the ceiling, trying to muster all her strength not to hit Adrien. Handing over the magazine, she flipped out her phone, dialing the first number that came to her mind. It didn’t even complete a full ring before a hysterical voice filled her ears.

“What the hell happened? When did you do an interview with Luthor? Look, I know you were pissed about the mission, but this isn’t the time to run me into the ground Marinette.”

“Tim.”

“What?”

“Are you done?”

There was a momentary pause before she heard the defeated sigh, signaling her to continue.

“That’s not me Tim. There was literally no time for me to do an interview, not even by email. I have alibi’s from class attendance, to workshop security guards. I don’t know who that is.”

The silence from the other end was eerie. She almost wanted to continue rambling out a defense just to fill the space, but she knew it wouldn’t make the matter at hand any better. Finally, she heard the ruffling of movement as she released the breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“There’s no easy way to solve this Marinette. You try to speak out, people will say we forced you to. You say nothing, both of our careers disappear. I hate to suggest it, but you might have to talk to Luthor.”

She nodded. She knew he couldn’t see her, but she didn’t see another option to answer, especially when he said exactly what she had feared. Without another word, she hung up. She took off in a brisk pace, slamming open the door of the student union.

“Hey, HEY, wait up!” Adrien jogged after her, but it was no use. She was gone.  
… … … … … … … …  
Marinette exhaled sharply as she sat in the waiting room of LEXCorp, her eyes darting from the overly cheerful receptionist to the awkward self-portraits of Luthor scattered across the walls. It had been thirty minutes since she checked in and she knew he knew she was there, this was all part of his game. The anticipation.

Boisterous laughter caught her attention as her eyes narrowed to the approaching figures. Luthor had his arm hanging off a man’s shoulders as if they had been friends for years. Instantly, she was more annoyed. She stood to intercept the duo when her arm felt as though it caught fire.

“I do not care for the danger you are putting yourself in. I am coming to LEXCorp now.”

She never had the chance to reply as two feet came into her view. Her eyes trailed up to meet the face attached on top. His smile was full of pride as if he had just won the prized horse at the race.

“Marinette, how wonderful to see you again! I assume you are here to discuss your new terms as a sponsee?”

His tone was playful, his hand extended in welcome, only enraging her.

“You’re messing with any chance I have at a career Lex. Why wait so long to strike? It’s nearly been two months. Is it still worth it? Is my future a game to you?”

Slowly he retracted his outstretched hand, using it to adjust his suit, the ever-present smirk still egging at her.

“Why, Miss Dupain-Chang, everything in life is a game. You must simply figure out what piece you are. Come.”

Without a glance back, he made his way back down the hallway he had entered from, leaving her to catch up.  
… … … … … … … .  
“Tea?” He didn’t wait for her response, setting a fresh cup down in front of her.

She watched as the steam rolled off the top, filling her nose with the calming aroma, Any other time, she would have given in and let the tea melt her anger away, but she had to stay on guard.

“You have many questions Marinette and I am eager to answer them all, but if I may be so bold to ask a single question first?”

She wanted to scream out that this whole thing was ridiculous and he was insane for orchestrating all of this, but deep down, she was curious. So instead, she nodded, his smile sending shivers down her back.

“Why did you not tell me that you have the unfortunate luck of being Damian Wayne’s soulmate?”

He paused waiting to gauge her reaction to the statement, ready to drink up the shock of him knowing. However, he was only left with disappointment as she simply nodded.

“I did not think it was relevant to my decision. Soulmates only work out 75% of the time, and we’re still very new to the concept.”

It was his turn to nod, analyzing her every word and movement.

“You speak the truth, but just so that we are clear Miss Dupain-Chang, it was very important. After all, I could not offer you a deal just then, I could’ve sat back and waited a while longer, giving time for resentment to build as it often does in relationships involving the Wayne boys.”

He waved his hand as if dismissing the conversation before she could ask how he knew so much.

“Past mistakes, I’m more interested in the now. What can I tell you Miss Dupain-Chang?”

A hundred questions flooded her brain, but she knew he was counting on that. He wanted her disorientated, thinking about how he obtains his information, rather than revealing why he needs it.

“Why now?”

“Why not? I let you all believe you were in a safe place, I let the anticipation build. I love a good drama after all. Marinette, when someone like myself offers you a deal, there is not an option for you to decline. If I cannot have your talents and other uses, then nobody can. I can inadvertently blacklist you, just by association. Nobody will want to commission you so that they can say they are good people, people who don’t support the Wayne’s.”

He let the words sink in as he picked up his teacup for the first time since they entered the room. Taking a sip, he exaggerated a slurp to break her concentration.

“It really is excellent tea, Mercy is quite talented.”

Marinette felt like the room was spinning. Tim was right, there was no easy way out of it without killing her future in the process.

“I’m sure you have more questions than that Miss Dupen-Chang, please, you’re boring me with your brooding face. Maybe you really do belong with the Wayne’s.”

She scowled at his statement as she sat up straighter in her chair.

“Fine, Who is the girl in the photos with you? She’s not me.”

“Yes, she did good for a passing resemblance but as I get a closer look at you now, I’m noticing light freckles across your face. I’ll have to remember that for the future.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” She sat back, folding her arms across her chest.

“I suppose I didn’t. It was my dear Mercy once more. She underwent a terrible surgery, but I must admit, I was impressed by the recovery time, much faster than the doctor suggested.”

She couldn’t hide the horror from slipping into her expression. His smirk returned tenfold at her obvious discomfort.

“As I said, everyone in life is just a piece in a game. Mercy may only be a pawn, but she is still quite useful.”

Marinette shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, feeling him grow in size off of her distress. She had a suspicious feeling he knew what she was about to ask, but she couldn’t help herself, not when he made it so obvious.

“What piece am I?”

She regretted it instantly as he seemed to pounce, ready to destroy her in a moment’s notice. His hand darted out, gripping hers tightly. She tried to tug away, but she couldn’t move. Frozen in place, she couldn’t even flinch when he leaned over the desk, his face too close to hers.

“Why, Miss Dupain-Chang, you are the queen.”

Abruptly, he let go, sitting back into his chair. His ever-present smirk was as cold as ever as he clasped his hands together tightly.

“Now, let’s get down to business, my queen.”


	23. Chapter 23

Damian paced the floor of the waiting room, the secretary boring into him with her sickly sweet smile.

“Can I interest you in a water sir? Or perhaps a juice?”

“No, what you can interest me in is how much longer my girlfriend is scheduled to be in this meeting with Luthor.”

The lady shrugged, trying her best to maintain her smile. She turned back to her computer, avoiding any eye contact with the pacing boy.

_“Habibti it’s been an hour.”_

He waited an additional five minutes before the growing frustration became too much. With every ounce of strength he had, he chucked his pen at the nearest portrait.

“Sir, please-”

He swirled around, his eyes silencing the poor secretary instantly. Pulling out his phone, Damian hit his most recent contact, already dreading the coming conversation.

“Ah, the impatience is predictable demon spawn.”

“Shut up replacement.” The growl in his voice didn’t even faze Tim as he had the audacity to laugh, the sound piercing through the phone, increasing Damian’s growing headache.

“Anyways, is this an update? Or are you still pouting that she went in without you?”

“I’m not pouting DRAKE.”

The secretary looked up as he raised his voice, her lips pressed in a tight line.

“Well, if you’re wondering if I can tap into a device in Luthor’s office, I can’t. The closest I can get you is the security camera outside his door.”

Damian huffed as he continued his assault on the floor, his pacing increased tenfold.

“What are you good for then Drake?”

Without waiting for a response, he shut off his phone, jamming it into his back pocket. With a great sigh, he slumped into the nearest chair, his head lulling backward to stare at the ceiling.

“Marinette, what is happening in there?”

… … … … … … … … … … … .

“So you’ll deny the news story, saying it was some woman trying to make a bad name for both companies?”

“That’s the idea.”

Marinette folded her arms as her eyes narrowed in on Luthor.

“And you would do that why? Just because I asked?”

“Why, Marinette, the queen holds all the power on the chessboard. Do you want to make a game nearly impossible to win? Take out the queen.”

His smirk still chilled her to the core as if he himself was a chess master searching for his opportunity to take her out.

“But-”

“Ah, there it is.” She leaned forward, trying to hold in her own smirk.

“But, I will need the occasional update on who the Wayne’s are in relation to the Justice League and how they manage to keep their donations under wrap.”

Marinette shook her head as she crossed her arms, falling backward into her chair.

“Luthor, I don’t know what you’re talking about. My connection with Damian is new and he’s reluctant to share information about his family, so why would you think I could change that? Especially something that large scale? Even if it were true, why does it bother you so much?”

“Ah, now you are asking the important questions. You see Miss Dupain-Chang, whoever funds the Justice League funds a mission that threatens to tip the balance of the universe, something that is in a delicate hang at the moment. I imagine you know all about that.”

Her blood ran cold as a dark smile crept onto his face.

“Balance is what holds us all together. If the Justice League was sanctioned by the United Nations as it should be, they would provide the fundings for missions and damage deemed sanctionable. I just need proof that the Wayne’s are one of many parties involved in this funding war and I could take it straight to the UN, putting balance where it should be.”

She swallowed hard as she considered his words carefully. It was true, the world did hang in a delicate balance, one small shift away from becoming unbalanced again. Unfortunately even good could not prevail over evil if balance was to be ensured.

“If I agreed to this plan, I would have requests of my own.”

His smile was sharp, her blood still churning at the sight of it.

“Of course my queen, name your price. I’m sure we can manage.”

“You have to leave my other roommates out of this. We escaped from Paris as refugees from the tyranny that was occurring. We just wanted to start a new life, obviously, that can never be an option for me, but they deserve a chance.”

Lex nodded, snapping his fingers to indicate his assistant take notes.

“Second, you have to leave Damian and all the other children out of the downfall. If I find anything, it should be placed on the head of the family, the rest shouldn’t be affected by Bruce Wayne’s choice.”

“I cannot guarantee how the fall out will affect the children, but I will do everything in my power. I imagine there is one more demand?”

She inhaled deeply, her eyes flashing to the ground as she tried her best to stand her ground. This wasn’t the first time she would deal with this kind of person, the kind that radiates power and abuses it. It certainly wouldn’t be her last.

“Finally,” she exhaled, her eyes turning steely as she met his cool gaze with one of her own. “When I deliver the information to you, whether you like how this turns out, you must leave me alone. I refuse to be your pawn forever. I want to resign my contract with Wayne Enterprises and I want you to never mention my name again, even in favor.”

A moment passed, and then two. Neither looked away, neither broke down. She felt her heartbeat racing away, but she hid it well as her face remained stoic. Finally, he reached his hand out, waiting for her to meet him in the middle.

“I believe now is where you shake on our deal Miss Dupain-Chang.”

She paused, a small panic coursing through her system. Her hand raised hesitantly before she plunged forward, grasping his hand tightly, giving it a firm shake before dropping back. He nodded before standing, offering his hand in assistance.

“Now, I will send you a new contract by tomorrow morning where your Wayne lackeys can tear through it before you sign it. Our first meeting will be two weeks from now when you return from your trip to Paris.”

Before she could ask how he knew, she heard a familiar shout from the hallway, her eyes instantly watering at the anger and panic it resonated.

“Now will you please go reign in your little guard dog. He’s quite the annoying little demon.”

She didn’t even respond. Flinging open the door to his office, she took off down the hall, determined to find her soulmate.


	24. Chapter 24

  
Neither one said a word as the car pulled into the apartment complex. Marinette wasn’t sure where to start. Part of her felt like she didn’t deserve the anger that radiated off her soulmate, but the other part understood where it came from. Hell, if he made a deal with Luthor to protect her, saying she would be a little mad would be greatly exaggerated.

She opened her mouth, catching his attention, but the words were stuck in her throat.

“Just say it Marinette.”

Her eyes widened at his tone. She had gotten so used to angel and habibti that her own name sounded foreign in his mouth.

“I don’t know what to say Damian, Tim agrees. This was the best course of action. We’ll figure out what to tell Luthor together as soon as Tim talks to your father.”

“You don’t understand Marinette.”

She flinched at her name, trying her best to stand her ground.

“Then explain it to me Damian. I told you everything, the minute I got into the car, but you haven’t said a word.”

“You don’t know Luthor and you don’t know my father. It never ends with either of them. They’re both devoted to this mission that they hold deep inside of them. We’re all pawns to them, not their Queens.”

His pointed look shot a dagger through her heart. She knew it seemed too easy with Luthor, but she just wanted to hold on to the hope that she could finish out the last five weeks of college and move on with her life.

She opened her mouth to reply but he never gave her the chance. He flung open the car door, making a beeline for the apartment, refusing to look back. With a sigh, Marinette slipped out her phone, dialing the number that she knew by heart. She waited as the line rang and rang before a familiar voice filled her ears.

“This is Sabine Dupain-Chang! You have reached my voicemail box and I am truly sorry that I missed your call. Please, leave your name and number and I will gladly get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!”

The beep echoed in her ears as Marinette took a shaky breath.

“Hi Maman, I uh, I miss you.” She felt a single tear roll down her cheek, her finger absentmindedly reaching up to wipe it away. “Things are getting a little rough here. I really thought I could run from my guardianship, shove it in a closet and call it a day. But as you know, life never seems to go as planned.”

She let out a humorless laugh as she felt another tear fall.

“I took a deal today thinking I could protect my soulmate and myself, but it seems I may have overplayed my cards. I just,” she paused, trying to swallow the hot lump she felt forming in her throat. “I just wish you were here to give me advice. You were always so good at that. Anyways, I know my time is running short, but I really wanted to hear your voice. I-”

The tone cut off as the phone call ended, leaving her to stare at her broken reflection in the dark screen.

“I love you”  
… … … … … … … …

“Dupain-Chang! Why haven’t you started packing yet? We leave in under 48 hours.”

Marinette looked up from her mini sewing machine, the purring of the thread coming to a halt as she lifted her foot from the pedal.

“I was trying to finish this commission for Grayson before my contract was officially over with them.”

A knowing silence filled the room as both girls wore the same grim face. Chloe plopped on the edge of her bed, kicking her shoes in the direction of her closest.

“You know, I was thinking about that. You only have to milk it for the summer. Before Grad school starts in the fall you could be back with Wayne Enterprises.”

“I don’t even know if I got accepted into Grad school Chloe.”

“Oh please,” Chloe leaned forward, her fingers barely gripping the knob of the drawer before flinging it open with all her might. On top sat the letter Marinette had shoved in there two weeks earlier, a big ‘Congratulations’ tore across the head of the paper.

Marinette shook her head, avoiding eye contact with the blonde.

“Why did you hide it, Dupain-Chang?”

“I don’t know if it’s what I want anymore. So much has changed in the past three months, Grad school just feels useless.”

Chloe didn’t answer, her eyes scanning over Marinette causing the girl to shrink in on herself.

“What’s the real reason you don’t want to go anymore?”

“Excuse me?” Marinette sat up, her eyebrows furrowing at the blonde’s stern expression.

“Look, I’m all for you being over it, but I want to know the real reason you changed your mind. Grad school was all you talked about since your first year here.”

Marinette bit her lip as her eyes fell to the ground. She felt Chloe’s hand reach forward as it rested on her knee.

“My master’s degree was always Papa’s dream. He wanted me to get the education that he and Maman never had. I never needed it for starting my own business, but it was going to make him so happy. Now? It’s just a painful reminder.”

Chloe’s other hand came into her eyeline, offering her a tissue for the tears she hadn’t realized had been falling. Marinette accepted the tissue, patting her eyes as dry as she could with the continuing assault.

“Now that’s a real answer.”

The blonde stood, drawing her friend into a hug, her hands drawing gentle circles in her back.

“Chloe, what do I do?”

“Just turn down the acceptance-”

“No,” Marinette waved her off, her glassy eyes threatening to spill again. “What do I do about Damian? I’m used to teammates being mad for making a majority decision, but I’m not used to not knowing what to do to make it better.”

“I think you should use that soulmate bond of yours to talk. Neither one of you seems to know how to interact with each other, but when it’s just skin and ink, I’ve watched you talk for hours on end. There’s no shame in using your bond until you both are comfortable enough to talk in person about the hard stuff.”

Marinette wanted to protest that they’ve had serious conversations before, without the bond. But the more she thought about it, it did come easier when it was just skin and ink. There’s no risk involved. Nobody language. Not much emotion. Just words.

“You know, you’re a genius sometimes Chloe.”

“Sometimes?” Chloe pulled back from their embrace, her face plastered with mock hurt.

Marinette shook her head as she uncapped her pen, staring at the blank canvas that was her arm.

“I’ll give you some space.” She paused at the doorway of their room, offering Marinette a warm smile. “Adrien and I are gonna go grab a late-night snack, text me if you need me.”

Marinette nodded before returning her gaze to her arm. Taking a deep breath, she placed the tip of the pen onto her skin.

_“I’m sorry if my decision hurt you. I’m used to making the decisions for the greater good and facing the consequences later. This was your territory, I should have talked to you first, not Tim.”_

She capped her pen, her eyes glued to her arm. Part of her feared that he turned in early for the night, or worse, he didn’t want to talk to her at all, even through the bond. Her nerves were fried. Marinette moved to grab an unopened alcohol swab from her night stand, ready to erase her statement before she could overthink it when she finally felt the tingle spread through her arm.

_“I was disappointed at first, but I understand why you did. I just know that father will never release me from the life, especially not now.”_

Marinette moved quickly to erase her former statement, patting it dry with the edge of her shirt.

_“Because of your involvement with me? That hardly seems fair.”_

_“Life isn’t fair and when Luthor discovers his secret, he will need all the backup he can.”_

Marinette felt the rawness spread through her bottom lip from where she had been chewing on it the past half hour. She ruined his chances of leaving the life behind, something she had tried to do herself. But something didn’t sit right with his statement.

_“What kind of backup?”_

Thirty seconds had barely passed before he responded.

_“He will need someone to take the mantle while he deals with both the publicity and legal matters that will come with him funding the Justice League. That will have to be me.”_

Marinette felt her blood boil as Luthor’s smirk flashed, permanently engraved in her brain. Without a second thought, she marched down the hallway, flinging open his bedroom door. Damian flinched as he dropped his pen, the cap clattering across the floor.

“Why you? Why not Tim? Why not Dick? Why not Jason?”

“Angel, please calm down.” His hand reached out to grasp hers, but she knocked it away, her face turning as red as her vision.

“No. Why Damian? Why? I just got you, I can’t lose you.”

He reached out gently, pulling her onto the bed beside him and into his arms.

“Because Tim runs the business, he’ll be needed by his side and will be under tight scrutiny as well. Jason has his own rules and while I admire how he runs things, it wouldn’t honor my father and Dick? Well, his wife is expecting, he just hasn’t told anyone else yet. I can’t ask him to abandon his family when it’s just beginning.”

Marinette felt her heart sink to her stomach. She really had ruined everything by making the deal.

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?’

Damian shot her a pointed look that seemed to stare directly into her soul.

“It’s not your fault. If you want to blame anyone, you should blame Drake. If he had never involved you in the first place, you would’ve never met Luthor and we would not be here.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at his statement. It was short and slightly hysterical, but it was a laugh. They both knew it was inevitable at some point, but the thought that they could’ve avoided it if Tim had never shown up that day in December seemed too good to be true.

“Stupid Tim.” She buried her head into his chest relishing in the feeling of his laughter shaking her entire body.

“He is the bane of my existence.”

They continued sharing digs, the tension between them dissolving with each laugh. As her eyes grew heavy, she snuggled deeper into his side, his warmth offering her a comfort she didn’t know she needed.

“Angel?”

“Mhmm?”

“This will end one day, even if I have to take on Luthor myself. We will leave this life behind if it’s the last thing I do.”

She nodded in agreement, vaguely recognizing the light pressure of his lips on top of her head as she let herself drift into a much needed sleep.


	25. Chapter 25

Chloe tapped her foot against the carpeted airport hallways as she tried her best not to be annoyed with the sheer amount of couples that surrounded her. All these college students wasting their spring break by being tied down. Now was the time of their lives to have flings, get plastered, and party all night. Who would want to waste that opportunity?

Oh, that’s right, her best friends.

Marinette and Damian traded insults back and forth, each carrying a sly smile as their lovesick eyes remained glued to one another. It made her sick to her stomach. But at least those two could keep their hands to each other. Adrien and his new boyfriend were arguably much worse, always having to be in constant contact with one another, no matter where they were and who was watching.

“Can you four cut it out for just one minute? I can’t focus on getting in touch with my flight crew with you all being so distracting.”

“Why Chloe, if you were going to be so moody on your own, you know Kagami would’ve raced at the chance to be your plus one.”

Adrien burst into a fit of giggles as Chloe’s face flushed red.

“Oh Adrien, leave her alone. Chloe likes the single life and you know Kagami wants much more from Chloe than a week-long fling.”

Marinette sent a wink in her direction causing the blonde to fall into a further frenzy, marching away from the laughing group. They wanted to pick on her and Kagami’s complicated relationship? Then fine, she’d let them, but not to her expense.

Pulling out her phone, Chloe found herself typing out a text message before she even gave it a second thought. Her finger hovered over the send button, wondering if this really was the best idea to send the message. She glanced over her shoulder, watching her friends all coupled up, giggling over the smallest things.

She wanted that. She didn’t want to be a fifth wheel this week. But she also knew that what Marinette said was true. Kagami wanted more than what Chloe felt like she could give her. Just as she was about to erase her text message, someone bumped into her shoulder harshly, shouting an apology as they continued their sprint toward the closing terminal doors.  
Chloe stared in horror as a sent appeared on her screen, the message mocking her as the sent turned into an immediate read.

**‘I accept Chloe. I will be looking forward to spending spring break with you when you arrive in Paris.’**

Oh no, what had she done?

“Yo Queenie, the pilot just messaged me, they’re ready for us to start boarding.”

Chloe sent a half-wave in their direction, shoving down her unclear emotions before lifting up her bag. This was going to be a long eight hours.

… … … … … … … … … … .

Marinette stirred in her seat, unable to get comfortable even in Chloe’s luxury cabin. Damian slept soundly beside her, his breathing even and comforting, but not enough. Every time she closed her eyes lately, all she could see was Luthor’s smirk burned in the darkness. It was enough to leave anyone restless.

Carefully, she stood, attempting not to wake Damian or Adrien as she slipped toward the back of the plane. A single light illuminated the back table where her friend sat, staring out the window into the pitch-black clouds.

“Chloe? What are you still doing up?”

“I could ask you the same question Dupain-Chang.”

Marinette winced as she slipped into the seat across from the blonde. She recognized that snarky tone. It only even came out when Chloe was feeling hurt or distressed. From what though, Marinette didn’t know.

“Well, if you must know, I haven’t been sleeping much the past two days. All I ever see is Luthor every time I close my eyes and it just comes with this intense fear that something is going to go wrong.”

Chloe nodded as if she felt that fear too, propping her head with her hand.

“You know that Adrien and I are powerful people. So is that boyfriend of yours. We could bring Luthor to light, say he’s blackmailing you into doing his bidding.”

“I don’t know Chloe. Something tells me the public wouldn’t believe us even if we tried. Tim showed me a few public stunts that Luthor had gotten busted for, yet somehow, he always ends up on top, no matter how horrible the deed.”

Chloe hummed in thought as she tried to think of anything to calm Marinette’s nerves, but her mind was blank.

“But it’s fine, I’m sure Tim will figure something out. That’s not what I came over here to talk to you about. What are you doing all alone, staring out the window as if you’re in some bad music video?”

Chloe narrowed her eyes at the darker haired girl, ignoring her triumphant smirk at her own terrible joke.

“I invited Kagami to join us for the rest of spring break once we leave Paris.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? Say something more than that Dupain-Chang.”

“No, no, I’m just surprised that’s all. I thought you told Kagami that you couldn’t have a relationship with her, not when there was a chance you could find your soulmate.”

Chloe bit her lip, her fingers twirling a stray piece of hair that had fallen from her perfect ponytail.

“I did, I care for her too much to hurt her like Adrien’s boyfriends have hurt him. And it’s not like anything changed, I still mean what I said to her. But, whenever I find myself lonely, I reach out to her, use her to make me feel better, and then leave her again. Tell me, is that not worse?”

Marinette considered her words carefully before she answered Chloe. Slowly she reached out, placing her hand overtop Chloe’s.

“I think you love her Chloe, but you’re too scared that she’ll leave you if she has the chance to find her soulmate, not the other way around. So before she can do that, you leave her.”

Chloe opened her mouth, ready to argue, but she knew deep down in her heart that it was true. It’s better to hurt before you get hurt. She felt the tears of anger pooling at the edge of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

“It’s terrifying Dupain-Chang. You don’t understand. You’ve always been loved. By your parents, by Adrien, by your teachers. I always get left behind by the people that I care for. I can’t risk Kagami leaving me behind too.”

Marinette slipped out of her seat to gather her friend into her arms. Chloe resisted at first but soon fell into her warm embrace, allowing the tears to finally rush down her voice, staining Marinette’s shirt.

“Just know Chloe, I love you and I will never leave you behind. I’m pretty sure Kagami feels the same way, otherwise, she wouldn’t still be waiting for you after all these years.”

Chloe didn’t answer as she stayed embraced tightly in Marinette’s arms, allowing the girl’s comfort to lull her to sleep. Marinette heard the soft snores causing her to stifle a giggle. She leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the blonde’s forehead before attempting to sleep herself.  
… … … … … … … .

As they exited the airport, Marinette waved goodbye to her friends, urging Damian to go with them. She knew exactly where her first stop in Paris would be and she wanted it to be alone.

Moving down the winding streets, Marinette didn’t bother to hail a taxi, she needed the time to gather her thoughts before arriving at her parent’s side. Her mind drifted to the days before college started. Chloe’s words still rang in her mind from hours earlier.

‘You’ve always been loved.’

Marinette wanted to argue that she had struggled, that she almost lost everything due to Lila Rossi, but then it dawned on her. She still had Adrien, she still had her parents. Lila hurt her, but she was still loved. Chloe was hated by everyone at school, her parents hated her at home. Until that day she ended up on Marinette’s doorstep, Chloe had no one.

But alas, it didn’t stop nagging her. Maybe it was the fact that she wanted to change things for Chloe, give her a better past. Or maybe it was the feeling of being a perfectionist her whole life, earning everything from working from the ground up. Being given love freely almost seemed like an insult to her entire childhood.

The familiar sights of the iron fence came into few as Marinette sped up her pace, eager to see her parents.

As she turned into the graveyard, an instant shockwave flooded through her body. It had been over three months since the accident and Paris had yet to forget her parents. Their graves stood in pristine condition, shined and cleaned to every nook and cranny. Dozens of flowers overflowed from the front of their graves with a mixture of photos and pastries from the bakery.

Marinette felt a tear roll down her face, then another, but the smile that tore across her face was wider. Her parents were as loved by Paris as they had loved the people. She pulled out her phone to snap a picture of the sight when an unfamiliar number flashed across her screen.

Hesitantly she pressed accept, bringing the phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Luthor has a job for you to complete in Paris.”

“Who is this?”

There was a silence on the other end of the phone before the person hung up without another word. Seconds later, three text messages buzzed, causing her to jump.

**‘Hope you are doing well Miss Dupen-Chang, I know you weren’t supposed to begin until you returned from your ‘spring break,’ but an urgent matter has occurred.’**

**‘Meet my informant at the Eiffel Tower in one hour, wear the jacket he gives you, press will swarm you soon after.’**

**‘All you have to tell them is this, I wish to make no comment while the investigation is happening, but I assure you, I’ll bring this imposter to justice.’**

Marinette stared at her phone in disbelief. She had no idea what was going on, but something about his vague instructions worried her. She was debating on ignoring his request when a final message buzzed through her phone.

**‘Do this task for me Marinette, or your parent’s graveyard will become a luxury LEXCorp hotel.’**

An image was attached to the text depicting the deed to the land where the graveyard stood. Marinette felt her blood boiling, both at Lex for his threats and at Chloe’s father for offering to sell this plot of land. It was too much.

Pulling out a pen from her purse, Marinette pushed up the sleeve of her shirt.

_“Damian, meet me at the Eiffel Tower in one hour, Luthor has hijacked spring break.”_

She didn’t wait for a response as she turned on one heel, marching in the direction of Paris’ greatest landmark. She didn’t know what Luthor had planned, but she knew better than to face it alone this time.


	26. Chapter 26

Damian was a bit perplexed. He wasn’t sure what Luthor had planned. After all, as evil as he was, he was always a man of his word. So for him to call out of the blue, telling Marinette to meet a group of paparazzi under the Eiffel tower, well, it was odd.

Nobody had called him, not Tim, not his father. But still, something had to have happened between Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp for him to make a move this early in the game. As he approached the square, his eyes scanned the corners searching for Luthor’s minion. Surely, he would’ve sent one or two to ensure that Marinette followed through.

His eyes landed on a small man lingering at the edge of the square. Sure enough, there was Marinette as well, accepting some sort of jacket before he pointed her in the direction of the gathering cameramen. Damian took a step forward, intent on reaching her side before she made it to the paparazzi, but a small hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“Unhand mmf-”

A leather-clad hand slammed over his mouth as they spun him around. A woman in an orange and white fox suit put a finger up to her mouth, sending him a wink. Once she was sure he wasn’t going to shout, she released her hand, bringing a small flute up to her mouth. The sound was eerie as it floated through the air sending a shiver throughout his body.

“Now, watch.”

She gently turned him back into Marinette’s direction where he watched as she slipped on Luthor’s jacket before addressing the growing crowd. It was short, and right before his eyes, she walked away.

“What-”

The lady slapped her hand on his mouth once more. She was really beginning to work his last nerve. Her leather-clad finger pointed toward where Luthor’s minion placed a phone to his ear, more than likely confirming that Marinette was done.

Honestly, what was the point of bringing him here?

“Beautiful work, really. You have gotten so much stronger Rena, I’m so impressed.”

Damian jumped. Beside him stood his beautiful soulmate, her face amused by his sudden reaction.

“Thank you, Thank you.”

The fox woman bowed dramatically before bursting into a fit of giggles.

“Alright girl, I have to get out of here before one of my interns snaps a picture of me. That would put a damper on your plans. Love ya!”

As quickly as she had appeared, she was gone leaving Damian more perplexed than before.

“Habibti. What was that vixen fox doing here? Why did you ask me here if you were going to do it on your own?”

For the third time in one afternoon, a hand clamped down on his mouth. He didn’t know when he had reached the point of looking approachable, but he needed to fix that immediately.

“All in good time mon amour. Right now we have an interview.”

Marinette tossed the jacket Luthor’s minion had given her in the nearest trash bin before linking her arm through his. Before he could ask another question, Marinette took off, dragging him along toward a woman across the courtyard. Her short purple hair glistened in the sunlight as she avoided looking directly in their direction.

Coming to an abrupt stop, Marinette plastered her best smile onto her face.

“Nadja, it’s been quite a long time. Are you sure you want to do this? I understand the kind of target you’re putting on your back if you do,”

Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. The woman didn’t even flinch, her gaze still fixed somewhere past them. Damian scoffed, ready to turn back when a small movement caught his eye. The woman’s mouth twitched upward into a small smile.

“That’s what reporters do and that’s what friends are for.”

She stood slowly, her height falling just below Damian’s shoulder. Reaching forward, she embraced Marinette tightly as if trying to hold her together. Pulling back, Damian watched his soulmate’s face with curiosity.

“Where are the others?”

“I told them to meet us outside the square. I figured inside the square would be a dead giveaway that you were interviewing with others behind Luthor’s back.”

Damian raised an eyebrow at the two women. Once more, he was out of the loop. He had very obviously seen Marinette's interview with Luthor’s reporters. It didn’t matter if she formed a retraction statement, Luthor would say it was due to blackmail and they would be back to square one.

“Excellent. C’mon Damian, let’s go do an interview.”  
… … … … … … … … . …

Damian was no stranger to the flashing cameras. It came with the unfortunate perk of being related to Bruce Wayne. Granted, his time in the limelight was short as Father tried to shield him to the best of his ability, it was still enough to learn the basics of how to deal with these people.

You don’t.

Say anything? They’ll twist it to fit their narrative. Make an innocent gesture? It’ll be a hate crime. Reporters love to terrorize the rich, even the ones like his father who gave billions to charity each year.

So as the camera’s documented his every step out of the square, it took every ounce of strength in him to keep a neutral face.

“Marinette! Over here!”

“Marinette! Care to comment on the ongoing self-proclaimed war for your designs?”

“Marinette!”

They were sharks. Show one sign of weakness, give them one drop of blood, and they’ll tear into you. He wanted to step in front of her, shield her from the lights, but he couldn’t. This was her mission, he was just back-up.

Marinette held up a hand, seemingly silencing the crowd as she waited for Nadja to finish setting up. With one nod from the reporter, it was as if a switch had been flipped. Her cheerful face dropped, replaced with one of determination as she stared straight into the lights.

“Thank you all for meeting me here. As I am sure, Nadja Chamack has forwarded you all the paperwork I had asked her to. Lex Luthor was not my savior from Wayne Enterprises. No, he stole me from them in the most underhanded method possible. As you could see from the papers, the woman featured in the magazine with Luthor underwent major cosmetic surgery to resemble me.”

She paused letting the words sink into the crowd.

“If the surgery records provided to you by my private detective weren’t enough, I could also show you how he threatened me over text, holding my own parent’s gravesites as ransom. Luthor wants me to work under him so that I may spy on the Wayne family for him.”

“Why would he think that you have that kind of connection if you had terminated your contract with them?”

Damian wanted to smack the smug expression off that reporter’s face. How dare he question his soulmate after she had already provided them with so much?

“Because, I am the soulmate of the heir of Wayne Enterprises, Damian Wayne.”

Damian’s attention snapped to Marinette. Her smile feigning sweetness, but Damian could see her actual intentions. She wanted this to happen. When did his soulmate turn into such a devious woman? He was…impressed.

The reporters looked less impressed as they finally noticed him standing slightly behind her. All she needed was one person to take the bait. One person to ask the question she had set up for them. Damian felt a smugness settling over him as he scanned the reporters, placing imaginary bets on which one would ask first.

The blonde took the bait.

“Can you prove that?”

Marinette’s face cracked, a smile fighting its way to the surface through the fake one she was using. With a small nod, she reached into her purse producing a small black pen. Without a word, she began to draw random designs on her left wrist. Capping the pen, the reporters all turned to Damian expectantly.

With a small smile, he rolled up his sleeve allowing them to catch sight of the matching design. It was as if all hell broke loose as each reporter shouted a hundred more questions, each more ridiculous than the last. Marinette raised her hands in surrender, waiting for their excitement to die out.

“I’d like this to be my final statement for now. Luthor is untrustworthy. I did not give him permission to take my name on for his company and I have yet to sign my contract with him. I am doing everything in my power and as are the Wayne’s to find a loophole to bring him down. With your help, and the documents provided from the PI, that should be a start to getting the real story out, and for that, I thank you.”

She sent a small smile in the direction of her friend before she turned, leading Damian away from the pact. Once he was sure they were away from the last of them, he finally released the sigh he had been holding in.

“Habibti, I love you dearly, but what the hell was that? When did you and Barbara even meet?”

“We didn’t. I just received an anonymous email from her alter ego Oracle and was told that it was as much evidence as she could suffice in such short notice. I knew Luthor wasn’t going to wait until we returned to force my hand, after all, Tim was making his move today as well.”

“But you interviewed with his reporters. It is impossible to recant a comment. Those kind of people make sure of it.”

“Did I make a comment with them?”

The mischievous twinkle in her eye set off a turmoil of butterflies in his stomach. Why did this side of her mess with him so much?

“Rena Rouge is a close personal friend. She provided the illusion I needed for Luthor’s friend to believe that I followed through. Once she was sure he was gone, she released the glamour on me causing me to seemingly appear right beside you.”

“I hate magic.”

Marinette barked out a laugh catching him by surprise. She clamped a hand over her mouth trying to muffle her giggles.

“That’s all you have to say? How about, ‘wow Angel, you’re a mastermind.’”  
“Wow Angel, you’re a mastermind.”

An elbow hit his ribcage roughly earning a slight chuckle through the pain.

“You’re such a smartass.”

Damian shook his head as he reached down intertwining his fingers with hers.

“Does this mean we can enjoy the rest of spring break now?”

Marinette pulled them to a stop, her smile contagious as one of his own stretched across his face.

“It most certainly does.”


	27. Chapter 27

It had been a week since Marinette had made her public debut and while Adrien was happy for her, he couldn’t help but wish she had waited.

Yeah, he knew it was selfish, but this was almost like a trial run with Victor. He wanted to see how the boy would hold up with his friend’s and spend a full week together away from the hassle of Victor’s friends and schoolwork. Instead, they spent a week running from the paparazzi as they tried to gather comments for their ongoing story of the war between Marinette and Lex Luthor.

When the plane touched down in Metropolis, Adrien felt like Victor couldn’t run away fast enough. It had been two days now and not a single message, he was gone for good.

“Adrikins, say hi to Kagami!”

Adrien peeked his head up in time for Chloe to pass by swinging her phone in his direction to show their friend for a brief second before she disappeared in a giggling mess into her room.

If nothing else, at least Chloe was happy again.

He wished that was enough, but it only made him feel worse. His two best friends were in mutually loving relationships and here he was, alone. How utterly dreary. Adrien stood from his place on the couch, gathering his keys from the ring by the door before stepping out into the warm air.

He had no idea where he planned on going, but anywhere aside from the apartment was a start. If he stayed, the consequences would surely follow from the self pity to the wallowing in loneliness. He had made it down the last step, eyes completely glued to the ground when a pair of shoes slipped into his line of view.

“Leather, italian, that would cost a pretty penny, but you didn’t buy them for yourself did you?”

Damian didn’t have to answer, Adrien knew. In no world would a man in their early twenties buy those shoes for himself.

“Where are you going Agreste?”

Adrien kicked one of his feet absentmindedly against the ground, trying to avoid the inevitable eye contact.

“Does it matter? I’ll be home at a reasonable time and sober and that’s all that really matters.”

Adrien tried to take a step forward, but Damian had refused to move. Instead, he did something that terrified Adrien. He pulled him into a hug. It was stiff, it was cold, the complete opposite of how a hug was supposed to be, but none of that mattered. Adrien’s loose arms slowly reached up to hug his waist as he rested his head on the man’s shoulder.

It was almost–relaxing.

“If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will deny it.”

Ah, there it is. Adrien pulled back trying his best to hold in his laughter.

“Sure thing tough guy.” He gently punched Damian’s shoulder.

They sat in silence for a moment that turned into two. Soon, Adrien couldn’t tell if he should say something or simply bask in the moment. Maybe Damian could help him get over his slump before he fell all the way down. Would he even want to? I mean one moment didn’t scream life long friendship.

“Do you want to grab a drink Agreste?”

Adrien’s face lit up as he finally met the boy’s eyes.

“Like as a couple of besties?”

“Let’s start with the drink.”

Damian turned on his heel, leaving Adrien to celebrate by himself on the sidewalk.  
… … … … … … … … . .

“I mean who who who,” Adrien took a deep breath as he exhaled slowly, trying to gather his thoughts through the fuzzy lens on his brain. “Who does Victor think he is? I pay for him a luxurioussss spring break and he can’t can’t deal with a littttttlllle ittttty bit of paparazzi.”

Adrien buried his head into his arms at the bar top.

“It doesn’t seem fair that everyone else gets to be in love but me.”

Damian scoffed as he sipped from his glass, his eyes narrowing on the blonde.

“You have terrible taste in men, no one is to blame for your loneliness but yourself.”

Adrien raised his head, a mock look of hurt crossing his face.

“Mad harsh dude, that’s not what a bestie would say.”

“On the contrary, a friend should be honest with you when everyone else isn’t.”

Damian watched the wheels turning in the blonde’s head before he realized his mistake.

“So you’re admitting it? Hey! EVERYONE, THIS MAN IS MY BEST FRIEND!”

It was Damian’s turn to bury his head as whoop and hollars floated through the room.

“Hey! Don’t be embarrassed! Everyone here is happy for our newfound friendship!”

Damian mumbled a small ‘yippee’ before slowly raising his head, trying not to offend the blonde. After all, this was supposed to be him trying to help, not making matters worse. Perhaps this was why people believed he was approachable now.

“Agreste, I have to ask you a serious question. Can you be serious for a moment?

“Of course.” Adrien sat up quickly, swallowing hard to avoid the bile that came with his movement. Damian waited until he was sure the man wouldn’t throw up before he continued.

“I am going to propose to Marinette after graduation and-”

“Woah, woah, woah. Hold up now. You guys have only been dating for like three months! Doesn’t that feel rushed to you?”

Adrien shrank under Damian’s stare as he instantly regretted his statement.

“I meant, don’t you think that would be overwhelming for Marinette?”

Damian sighed as he reached into his coat pocket. Pulling out his hand, he produced a small blue box. He glanced it over once before sitting it in front of the blonde boy. Adrien wasted no time flipping the box open to show a small elegant diamond ring. This design was subtle but screamed classy, although if he had to be more precise, he’d say it was Marinette personified.

“I loved her three years ago when the soulmate bond was first established. I was not sure at first, but as the time passed, I knew that it wouldn’t matter who was on the other end, I was destined to spend the rest of my life with them. I bought that ring after the second year.”

“But, you had no idea what she looked like or if it would even match her style. How did you manage to pick out a perfect ring without seeing her?”

“Because Agreste, the ring is everything I thought her to be. I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t appreciate big and flashy, meeting her was just how you say, the icing on the cake? Marinette is beautiful and while I can appreciate that, her beauty is not why I fell in love with her.”

Adrien turned the ring noticing a small engraving on the inside. He ran his finger over the word relishing in how smooth it felt. A smile tugged at his lips as he recognized the meaning of the word.

“Why can’t I find someone to love me as much as you do her?”

Damian smacked the back of the blonde’s head earning a gasp from the boy.

“Because you only focus on their looks, you imbecile. Try talking to someone for once other than the God awful small talk I witnessed between you and that boy this past week. You’ll never find real love if you base everything off some fantasy of love at first sight.”

“Okay, while your advice was solid, there was no reason to hit me so hard.” Adrien’s pout was playful as he rubbed the back of his head earning a rare smirk from his new friend.

“Oh there was a reason. You promised to not come back sober tonight and you are one drink away from being gone.”

Adrien’s laughter filtered through the air turning Damian’s smirk into a full blown smile as he lifted his glass to his lips once more. If Chloe and Marinette asked, Damian would deny that smile, but for the moment, he let the boy enjoy the time they spent together.

“You know Agreste, if you ever want a blind date?”

“You have someone in mind?”

Damian pulled out his phone sending Adrien a contact from his call list.

“Text him first, call him, do whatever you want to get to know him, but I better not hear of a date until at least a month of you learning about him. He is my childhood friend and if you break his heart, I break every one of your bones.”

“Figuratively right?” Adrien chuckled nervously as he looked at the number in his messages.

“If that will help you sleep.”

Damian finished his drink before standing, walking briskly toward the exit.

“Wait, Damian! Figuratively right?”

Adrien slapped down a fifty before running out of the bar and into the night before his friend had the chance to leave him.


	28. Chapter 28

  
Marinette was exhausted.

Trying to juggle interviews, schoolwork and legal threats was draining. It had been two weeks since her debut to the world as anti-Luthor and while Tim warned her it would be tough, she was hoping her little publicity stunt would smooth the path.

Boy was she wrong.

“Marinette, Good Morning America wants you and Tim to interview with them next Saturday.”

Marinette groaned as Professor Brookes slapped down the invitation in front of her workstation. As grateful as she was for her help, the professor seemed much more interested in boosting her program through Marinette’s infamous success.

“Can we turn them down?”

“Only at the expense of them taking Luthor instead.”

Luthor.

Despite all of the evidence provided by Oracle, he still seemed to manage to twist the public opinion in his favor. It was no wonder that he managed to stay a top businessman for so long. His charm was overpowering.

“Do you know where we stand in clearing the Wayne’s name?”

“Well, public opinion is split. From what I can tell online, your popularity is up 51% compared to Luthor’s 49%. It’s not enough to clear their name. We can’t take this to court with the public still so split. If you want to ensure that you’re going to win the case, it needs to be 75:25.”

Marinette buried her head into her arms. All she wanted to do was design. How did it end up so wrong?

“Marinette,” she felt Professor Brooke’s soft touch on her arm in an attempt to comfort her. “Things will get better. Worst case scenario, you and Damian could get married and that would sway opinion greatly!”

Her head peeked up to see her Professor’s bright smile as if she had just solved the whole problem. Get married? I mean, it’s not like she wouldn’t mind if he asked, but it just feels like the wrong reasons. If she was going to marry Damian Wayne it was going to be because he loved her and wanted to spend his life with her, not as some publicity stunt to win public favor.

But she didn’t say a word of that to her professor. Instead she forced a smile and gave her a thumbs up.

“I’ll keep that on the back burner, ya know, worst case scenario and all.”

Her professor nodded before turning away, leaving Marinette to drown in her self pity. When did it all go so wrong?

… … … … … … … … … …

Marinette unlocked the front door, the weight of the day finally catching up with her as she rolled her head trying to unlock the tension in her neck.

“Boom! Take that Wayne, Adrien style boo-yah!”

Marinette stared at the sight before her, taking in the weirdness of the men, both smiling and laughing. She took a moment to scan the room as if some friendship akuma had broken into the apartment, but alas she found nothing.

“Oh, hey Mari! You want next round?”

She felt an instant sense of deja vu from the first day Damian had moved into the apartment. The only thing that was different was he seemed to genuinely be friends with Adrien now and as much as she tried, she couldn’t place exactly when it happened.

“Backtrack. Since when did you two become-”

“Besties? I know! It’s new but I’m loving it.”

Damian stood shaking his head as he stepped forward to engulf his soulmate.

“I wouldn’t call it besties, but a mutual understanding fits.”

Adrien’s pout sent another smirk across Damian’s face. She had to be hallucinating. The lack of sleep had finally caught up with her, that’s what this was. A sleepless induced dream.

“You know what? I’m going to go lie down for a bit. You guys keep playing though.”

She didn’t bother to take notice of the frowns both men gave her as she walked past them and into her room.

“Marinette! Good, your home. Should I go with this shade of gold or this shade?”

Chloe held up what looked like two identical tops, her face holding a certain distress to it that screamed this decision was eating her up. Marinette wanted to laugh, but instead, she suppressed her giggles into a tight lipped smile.

“The one on the right, it brings out the highlights in your hair.”

Chloe simply nodded before slipping on the top, admiring herself in the mirror.

“Did you know that Kagami will be in town tomorrow night for a fencing tournament? I mean she won’t be competing considering it’s an amateur feat and my queen is nothing short of pro, but she’ll be judging alongside her mother. Her mother Dupain-Cheng! I’ve never met the woman before. What if she hates me?”

“Chloe, no one could hate you. You’ve grown into a respectable woman who cares deeply for people, always going the extra mile to make sure they’re okay. If Ms. Tsurugi can’t see that, then I’m sure Kagami could care less what her mother thinks.”

Marinette plopped on her bed intent on napping the rest of the afternoon away, all of her problems melting away into her pillow.

“You’re right Dupain-Cheng, who care was Ms. Tsurugi thinks? I love Kagami and that’s all that matters.”

Marinette nodded slowly from her position, trying to fight off sleep long enough to hear out her friend, but it was a losing battle. Her eyes fluttered shut as Chloe continued on with her rant about her girlfriend’s mother.  
… … … … … … … … …

Chloe pulled the door shut as softly as she could before turning to the two men on the couch, both staring at the room with concern.

“This is getting out of hand gentlemen. I mean, she’s so sleep deprived, she couldn’t even stay awake throughout my whole rant! Who am I supposed to rant to if she’s always sleeping?”

Adrien slowly raised his hand but with one look from Chloe, he quickly brought it back down.

“I know Luthor, he won’t let this go without a fight. Even a compromise from him could still prove deadly for Marinette’s future and my father’s as well.”

Chloe’s mouth stretched into a thin line. This wasn’t going to be pretty, but she knew what they had to do.

“It’s time.”

Damian stared at her with a mixture of confusion and interest in his face.

“Are you sure? Marinette hates flaunting, you know she does.”

His gaze turned to where Adrien sat, a horrified expression on his face as well.

“Will someone tell me what’s going on here?”

Chloe and Adrien seemed to be locked in a silent argument, one that Chloe had apparently won.

“I’m just letting you know, if Marinette gets upset, I’m totally throwing you under the bus.”

Chloe rolled her eyes much to Damian’s growing frustration.

“Is anyone going to tell me?”

“It’s time that we brought in the big guns. It’s time we made a few well placed phone calls for the sake of Marinette’s sanity.”

“Well placed like who?”

Once more Chloe didn’t give him an answer. Instead, she pulled out her laptop squirming her way in between the two boys on the couch. With a couple of quick taps, she managed to pull up the editorial side of Marinette’s commission website.

Damian watched as she drafted a new post, reading her eloquent phrasing and refusing to be impressed by the level of pettiness his soulmate’s friends could stoop to.

“And… send.”

Chloe slammed her laptop shut, almost breathing out what seemed to be a sigh of relief.

“Damian, do you have those lawyers for your father in speed dial?”

The man nodded, pulling out his phone.

“What should I tell them?”

If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve mistaken Chloe’s smile for one of innocence, just a friend looking out for a friend. But alas that was not the smile that crossed Chloe’s face. This one screamed cold and calculated. It screamed that she was ready for war.

“Tell them we have plenty of high placed socialites ready to take the stand in defense of Bruce Wayne and Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Tell them, we called in her connections.”


	29. Chapter 29

When the first round of lawyers arrived at Professor Brookes workshop, she immediately turned them away. After all, there was no guarantee for her to win this battle and she didn’t want to risk it on what-ifs.

However, when she walked in the next day only to find the same lawyers sitting with Professor Brookes in the conference room, she couldn’t help but feel slightly hopeful that this meant there was a chance.

“Hey, what’s going on here? I don’t exactly remember calling a meeting, or ya know, anyone inviting me to one.”

Blank stares from across the room met her eyes momentarily before they slipped away back into their conversation as if she wasn’t even there. Marinette shook her head in disbelief as she took her spot beside Professor Brookes trying to gather assumptions based off of the bits and pieces of conversations she could hear.

“-character witnesses could be key to-”

“-proof of a soulmate bond-”

“-proposal before trial would be ideal-

Marinette’s head was spinning. Could they really be planning a trial so soon? It was only the first part of April. She was sure that it would take them longer than that to gather evidence and sway public opinion.

“Can someone give me a clear outline of what is going on here?”

The chatter died down as four sets of eyes narrowed in. She felt like she wanted to crumble under their stares, not before her curiosity killed her first though. Straightening her back, she interlocked her hands on the table trying to do everything in her power to appear in control.

Finally, one of the lawyers caved.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, we were not made aware of your connections. They rival Luthor’s and could most certainly give you an edge in this trial. I do not know if you are aware of the power of a character witness. You have enough people, especially people that are not family, willing to take the stand and claim you are an honest woman who would never lie to tabloids to put another company at stake, well, it could win your defamation case.”

Marinette bit her lip as hard as she could trying to hold in the urge to scream. She just knew that Chloe had to be behind this, but she couldn’t find it in herself to be mad. No, in fact, she was grateful for a friend that stepped up when she couldn’t. She had used her connections once, why couldn’t she use them now?

She knew why. The overwhelming feeling of guilt of using people made her feel dirty as if her relationships that she had built were false, solely based on constantly owing each other favors.

It made her feel like Luthor.

“I don’t want to ask these people to take the stand for me. They could be risking their careers going against Luthor. You all know better than most how many people he has blacklisted simply for defying him.”

The lawyers shared a look as if she was just some naive child to be shooed off when they cried at the dinner table. As if this case didn’t revolve around her.

“I’m serious.” She placed her hands on the table, pushing herself out of her seat. She felt Professor Brookes’ trying to tug her back down, but it was useless. “I don’t want to put anybody else at risk.”

The lawyer closest to her slid a folder in her direction, nodding for her to open it. Inside sat dozens of consent forms signed by many people she had been commissioned by throughout the years. Jagged, Clara, Nadja, and so many more. She felt the anger flowing through her as she flipped through each page. They had gone behind her back, they-

“Before you get all high and mighty on us Miss Dupain-Chang, every single name in this folder came through willingly. Nobody was asked, nobody was paid off. They were all made aware of the risks and they signed anyway.”

Marinette felt her jaw hanging open as she flipped through the names once more.

“All of these people? For me?”

The lawyer shook her head, a smug smile gracing her face.

“You seem to be more admired than you realize Miss Dupen-Chang.”

Marinette sank back into her chair, the disbelief setting in. They really did have a fighting chance.

“There’s only one more thing that you could do that would guarantee your win.”

“What’s that?”  
… … … … … … … … … … … .

Marinette didn’t even bother knocking on her bedroom door. As soon as she turned the doorknob, the sounds of conversation came to a halt.

“Dupain-Cheng, don’t you know that when the door is closed, Kagami and I are having a private conversation?”

Marinette paid her no mind as she fell face-first onto her bed letting out a groan. Chloe and Kagami shared a knowing look before signing off.

“You better have a good reason for ruining date night?”

Marinette didn’t even lift her head as she raised her pointer finger in the air.

“Technically, every night has been a date night for the past three weeks for you two, you’re worse than a married couple.”

Chloe sat on the edge of Marinette’s bed, pushing her legs out of the way in the process.

“Dupain-Cheng, what’s wrong? You’ve spent every night for the past three weeks in Damian’s room. Why are you in here pouting tonight?”

“I’m not pouting.”

Marinette turned her head so that she could properly see Chloe at the end of her bed.

“Then what do you call this?”

“Strategic moping?”

Chloe rolled her eyes as she tugged at Marinette’s arm until the girl was sitting completely up.

“Now talk.”

With a great sigh, Marinette rested her chin on her knees.

“I had a meeting with the lawyers today and from what I could only assume is your handiwork, they say we have a winning chance with all of my so-called connections.”

“But?”

“But they want something more, a way to guarantee public opinion on our side. They want me and Damian to get engaged.”

Chloe cocked her head at the girl trying to figure out the best way to approach the ‘problem’.

“Don’t you want to marry Damian? I feel like you told me that after the first year of talking to him. We were only 19 and you scared the hell out of me asking me to be your maid of honor for a man you hadn’t even met yet.”

“That’s not the problem! I want to marry Damian, I really do! But I want it to be because he chose the right time to do it, because he was ready to do it, not because we could win some court popularity contest.”

Chloe nodded her head, slowly piecing together what Marinette was saying.

“So you’re telling me if he asked tomorrow you’d say no?”

Marinette’s face flushed red as she averted her eyes to the floor.

“No, I mean I’d say yes, but I’d always have this unconscious resentment due to the fact that it could’ve been for popularity, not because he loves me.”

Marinette’s head snapped up to the sound of laughter emitting from the blonde, her face red from embarrassment.

“What’s so funny Chloe?”

“It’s just,” she paused trying to catch her breath, wiping the small tear that had formed.  
“You and Damian are so hopelessly in love with each other that it’s borderline disgusting for the rest of us. If that man proposes, I can guarantee you right here and now that it’s not going to be for some publicity stunt.”

Marinette couldn’t help the smile that was tugging at her lips trying it’s best to break through her worrisome frowning.

“Can I just say that you and Kagami are more disgusting? You think we can’t hear the kind of stuff you two talk about through these paper-thin walls?” Marinette shuddered, her laughter only breaking through at the sight of Chloe’s bright red face.

“Whatever Dupain-Cheng, you’re just jealous that we’re that comfortable with each other so quickly.”

“Sure, very quickly, not like it’s been years of build-up.”

Chloe gave her a light shove, but it only fueled her laughter. 

“Shut up Dupain-Cheng.”

“You know you love mee~”

“That’s debatable.”

Instantly all of her worries drifted away as the words Chloe spoke cycled in her head.

‘-so hopelessly in love-’

Maybe she was, but she didn’t mind one bit. As long as he was by her side, she could care less about how the trial ended. The only thing that mattered at this point was making sure she could secure a future with Damian, everything else be damned. Today proved it for her, no matter how Luthor blacklists her, the people she started with would always be there to support her and commission her.

She didn’t need to be a big name in the fashion business if it meant that she could continue designing for the people she loved.


	30. Chapter 30

It took a few days, but Marinette managed to convince the lawyers to hold off until after finals before setting the court date. They were reluctant at first, but eventually agreed seeing as they were only three weeks away.

The only problem?

Those three weeks flew by faster than she wanted them to. As she stepped out of her last exam, she felt more dread than relief.

_“How did it go?”_

Marinette scoffed as she looked up from her arm and around the room for where he could be standing. Her eyes landed on his mischievous smirk as she bounded over, pulling him into the tightest hug possible.

“I aced it obviously. This trial stuff may be stressful but there’s no way I would let it interfere with finals. I cannot do yet another semester.”

Damian chuckled as he pulled back from her arms, a more serious expression etched into his face.

“About the trial-”

Marinette placed her hands over her ears shaking her head as fast as she could.

“Nope, I refuse to talk about it. Not you too. Can’t we just go grab a milkshake or something? Celebrate Finals being over like normal college kids?”

Damian’s expression almost seemed pained as his smile stretched thinly.

“Of course Angel, anything to take your mind off of it.”

Instant relief flooded through her as she intertwined their fingers, walking briskly away from the moment. She knew what he was going to ask. It’s what everyone had been asking her for the past month. She also knew that it wasn’t fair to keep him in the dark, never having the conversation with him that she had with everyone else, but she wasn’t ready. Not now, and honestly not ever.

Instead, she would do everything in her power to avoid talking about a proposal with Damian Wayne.  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The morning of the trial, Marinette found herself utterly alone.

All of her friends had taken off early to help with press control and prepare their statements for when they took the stand. Of course, they left her a travel mug of her favorite tea with a small croissant to help calm her nerves, but it wasn’t the same.

Even her arms laid blank as the lawyers advised any use of the bond outside the courtroom could be seen as tampering with evidence or whatever. She honestly wasn’t listening after they said no bond.

She tried to take deep breaths as she made her way down the apartment stairs to where her attorney stood.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, I would like to introduce you to Superboy. He’s going undercover today to protect you from any unforeseen events today.”

Marinette tried her best to put on a friendly smile as if she had never met the boy in front of her, but his face didn’t seem to match.

“Marinette, right? I don’t think she actually needs my help sir, but if you wish me to stay, I will.”

The killer look her attorney shot the boy chilled her to her core, but he simply sighed as it was a minor inconvenience to stay here protecting her. She wanted to call him out on his behavior, remind him that he was the one who attacked her that night so many months ago. Alas, she pressed her lips tightly together as she slid into the backseat, wanting the say to end as soon as it had begun.

“Marinette, I’ll be blunt with you. I still don’t trust you around Damian. I know all about that little war between your people and his. But he seems to really love you and so does Adrien, if they can trust you, then I’m sure we can be friends eventually.”

His face was cheerful as if he didn’t just ask to leave her vulnerable, as if he didn’t just question her intentions with his best friend, with her soulmate.

“Well, Superboy, I’m glad you can be honest with me. But, if Damian trusts you, then that’s all I need. I’m sorry if you cannot feel the same way.”

His mouth gaped as if he was trying to retract his words, but he couldn’t find the right way to. Suddenly, he shut his mouth tightly before a laugh erupted causing the smaller girl to jump.

“Oh My God! You are so much like Damian that it kills me! The underhanded comment, the cool demeanor, God, it’s like I’m staring at a female him. We’re gonna get along just fine.”

It was Marinette’s turn to gape as she took in the full 180 the man had done. Was he not just making underhanded snide comments as her? A small giggle escaped her mouth as it grew louder turning into a full-blown laughter. As they both began to finally calm down, a thought crossed her mind so suddenly that she couldn't believe she hadn’t heard it earlier.

“Wait, did you mention Adrien? When did you have time to talk?”

A small blush crept up Jon’s neck and into his cheeks as he averted his eyes to the window.

“Damian gave me his number almost two months ago. We’ve been talking and emailing and even FaceTiming. He’s been an absolute gentleman and he’s so going to be my date to your wedding.”

Jon slapped a hand over his mouth, apologizing profoundly for the growing blush that drained from his and made its way up Marinette’s. She wanted to ask if Damian had talked to him about proposing at all, her curiosity was really eating her up, but alas, the car pulled to a stop all too soon and the flash of cameras stole away any moment that could’ve had.

“Marinette, I need you to stay as close to me as possible. While I don’t believe Luthor would try anything before the trial, there’s no telling what he’s paid these press to do. It’ll be easier for me to not blow my cover if you keep your head down, okay?”

Jon’s face turned deadly serious, something Marinette hadn’t seen since December when he threatened her life. All she could do was nod as her attorney stepped around to open Jon’s door.  
Instantly, the cameras seemed to draw in closer, trying to get a shot of her face as the questions came raining down tenfold.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, do you really think you can beat Luthor?”

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, is it your intention to steal from Luthor to start your own business?”

“Miss Dupain-Cheng-”

It was all so much, the noise overwhelming all of her senses. She wanted nothing more than to dive back into the car and drive away, leave the trial as nothing more than an idea. But Jon placed his arm over her shoulder, lifting his long jacket to shield her from as many flashing lights as he could.

“Head down, walk fast. You’ve got this Marinette.”

She took a deep breath as she moved into his side as tightly as she could. Together, they made their way up the stairs and into the safety of the doors. As they finally shut behind her, the noise died down, allowing her racing heart to calm.

“Thank you, Jon.”

His smile was soft and calming as he placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her down the hallway to where her attorney had directed them.

“The hardest part is yet to come, Miss Dupain-Cheng. We only have thirty minutes until the trial begins. It’s not much time to cover your full strategy for today, but it’s nothing different than what we’ve been preparing for.”

Marinette nodded as she slid into the seat across from her attorney. She wanted nothing more than to grab the pen sitting next to her and write to Damian, but she knew it could only jeopardize their chances. Besides, she knew what he would say.

‘Stay strong habibti, no matter how things go, you know I will always be here.’

With the thought of him still fresh in her mind, Marinette felt herself relaxing as they edged closed to the time. If she couldn’t do this for herself today, then she would do this for him and his family.

“Alright, when we enter this courtroom, do not make eye contact with Luthor or his team. They will only try to intimidate you, get you to back down. Keep a strong head looking forward, okay?”

Marinette nodded, steeling her nerves with a couple of deep breaths. Instantly the flashing lights returned as the doors crept open, allowing her to take the first step into the courtroom. 

“Eyes forward Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

Her breathing felt more labored as she tried to avoid making eye contact with the sharks swimming around her. It took every ounce of strength she had to make it to the front without looking. Already she was having second doubts.

“Listen Marinette, I know you can’t look around right now, but I can for you. He’s right there, front row. Along with your roommates. In fact, there’s several people that look your age, all front row supporting you. If you ever feel like backing down, don’t forget, we haven’t left you alone.”

Jon’s words triggered a wave of relief. She wanted to turn towards her friends, forget about the trial and just sit within their comfort, but she couldn’t. Not if she wanted to beat Luthor, not if she wanted to protect them as they had her.

As she took her seat on the defense side of the court, her mind became hyper-focused on the sounds of whispers echoing through the room. It felt like people were betting on who could win this trial. It was disgusting.

“All rise for the honorable Judge Marissa McCathy.”

Her legs felt shaky as the anger began to seep in. Anger at the crowds for treating her life as a gossip magazine. Anger at herself for not believing that Luthor would take it this far. Anger at Luthor for dragging her career down before she even had a chance to begin.

“You may be seated. Today the court will be deciding on the matter of LEXCorp Vs. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. If I’m reading here correctly, you both wish to sue. Miss Dupain-Cheng for Harassment, Emotional Distress, and Defamation, is that correct?”

Marinette looked at her attorney who simply nodded, motioning for her to stand.

“Yes your honor, that would be correct.”

The judge’s lips were pressed into a thin line, almost as if she was warning her to not hold out hope, almost as if she had been in this spot before with Luthor.

“And Mr. Alexander Luthor, you are suing Marinette and her current employers, Wayne Enterprises for defamation and breaking a contract, is that correct?”

His motions were smooth as he stood, straightening his suit in one motion.   
“Yes your honor, that would be correct as well.”

The judge’s exasperated look told Marinette everything she needed to know about the next few hours. It was quite possible that this was all hopeless.

“Let it be shown that both parties have refused to back down or drop their charges. As of now, the court will begin. To the jury, I hate to be blunt, but this case while based mostly on evidence, will come down to character witnesses. It will be your job to take both into consideration when making a decision. Is that understood?”

A chorus of ‘yes, your honor’ rang through the courtroom as twelve sets of eyes darted between the two. Marinette wasn’t feeling confident at all.   
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“The jury had been adjourned for three hours, is that a good sign?”

Her attorney sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to collect his own thoughts.

“Honestly Miss Dupain-Cheng? It could go both ways. The fact that they haven’t made an immediate decision means they are split. If they take too much longer, the court will be adjourned and we will be forced to return for another day allowing Luthor to sink his claws into them if he hasn’t already.”

Marinette felt her heart sink as she slipped further down into her chair.

“But, I must say. Your line-up of Character witnesses were much more impressive than his. Pop Stars and Fashion Icons will be seen as more trustworthy than fellow businessmen like Luthor provided.”

A small smile graced her lips. Jagged, Penny, Clara, Adrien, Audrey, Chloe, Damian, Professor Brookes and Professor Lupez, all of them and many more took the stand for her today. She never knew how far they would be willing to go, even putting their own careers on the line to discredit Luthor and raise her up.

“They’re going to suffer for doing this aren’t they?”

Her attorney shook his head, a small smile of his own forming.

“You have many powerful friends Miss Dupain-Cheng, they will come out this fine no matter how it goes.”

She opened her mouth to ask another question only to be cut off by the sound of the door opening.

“The jury has made a decision, we please ask that everyone returns to the courtroom immediately.”

Her attorney’s face was unreadable as he nodded, standing to follow the officer out.

“Well, Miss Dupain-Cheng, here’s the moment of truth. “

She followed him closely into the courtroom, her stomach churning at the thought that this case could be anything less than ideal. It only took a few minutes for the judge and jury to return, their faces as unreadable as her attorneys. She tried to make eye contact with a single juror in hopes of reading how the case would end, but it seemed as though they were avoiding looking at both her and Luthor.

“If I could ask both defendants to rise for the reading of the decision.”

Marinette felt like she might pass out, but she couldn’t tell if it was from the intense fear or from the fact that she had been holding her breath since they entered.

“In the case of LEXCorp versus Marinette Dupain-Cheng, we the jury find Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” the pause was unneeded, she felt like she was going to jump across the table if that man didn’t finish reading in the next five seconds. “Not-guilty.”

Marinette released the shaky breath she had been holding, tears already forming in her eyes. She wanted to fall back into her seat, but she knew she had to be respectable, remain standing until everything was readout. The last few minutes were a blur, she wasn’t even really sure what Luthor’s punishment was, but she didn’t care.

The court was adjourned. She hugged her attorney as tightly as she could before racing out of the room to find her friends, to find Damian. As she threw open the doors to the courthouse, her heart was pounding.

There they were, standing at the bottom of the stairs, their smiles as big as hers. Jason, Kagami, Luka, Alya, Steph, Dick, Tim. They all came. Her eyes locked onto Damian’s, as her heart jumped to her throat.

They had made it. They made it through. She began down the steps taking it two at a time. She wasn’t focused on her surroundings, nor did she hear Jon yelling at her to wait. Damian’s beautiful green eyes widened in what looked like fear. She felt intense pain as she hit the stairs, the clear sky around her going dark.

The ringing in her ears sounded like a gunshot, but she couldn’t be sure. Not when everything was so dark.


	31. Chapter 31

The pounding in her head refused to stop, no matter how much she pleaded it to. She could roughly make out the sounds of arguing going on around her, but it all seemed so faint in comparison to the pain.

“Can you guys maybe shut up?”

Was that her voice? It sounded so foreign in her own ears. It had to be though, after all, the arguing appeared to have died out. A gentle hand stroked her cheek, careful to stay away from her forehead. For that she was grateful. She couldn’t say why, but that’s where it hurt the most.

“Habibti, can you open your eyes?”

Was that a full sentence? Was it directed at her? She sure hoped not. Opening her eyes sounded miserable at the moment.

“Five more minutes.” She tried to roll over, pull the blankets up to her chin, but something stopped her. A small pulling in her wrist as if a wire was attached.

“Dupain-Cheng, if you don’t open your eyes right now, I’m going to clobber you again.”

Very hesitantly, she cracked her right eye open.

Everything was blurry as if she was spinning on the world’s fastest merry go round. It almost made her want to vomit.

“Can someone make the room stop spinning?”

A few figures moved at once only enhancing the blur. Immediately she shut her eye back, trying to breathe through the urge to lose whatever was on her stomach.

“Marinette? Can you hear us?”

She slowly moved her hand to offer the voice a thumbs up. That’s what people do right? When they can’t talk, they motion with their hands?

“Okay, I’m getting the doctor.”

Why was she at the doctor’s? Did that mean someone was going to do something about her awful headache?

“Habibti, can you please try opening your eyes again? The doctor is going to want to check out your response time.”

Was that Damian? As in her soulmate Damian? Was she injured or something? Is that why he was at the doctor’s with her? Slowly she inched herself into a propped position. Already, the motion worsened the pounding in her head, but at least she wasn’t flat on her back anymore.

Slowly she tried peeking open her left eye this time. The dizziness was still there, but this time more manageable. She waited a few moments to adjust before cracking open her other eye as well.

Damian rushed forward, pulling her into a hug. Her stomach flipped, loosening any resolve she had against throwing up. She barely had the chance to pull back before she lost it all over the white sheets.

“Eww, Dupain-Cheng can you not? I was literally in the splash zone.”

Marinette turned her head searching for the face that matched the voice. A familiar blonde peeked itself into her vision, Chloe’s concerned face not matching her tone at all.

“Hey, give her a break. The doctor said this might happen. Be glad she didn’t turn her head an inch further.”

The nausea subsided some, but the pounding refused. Tentatively, Marinette reached up to touch her head. Instantly her fingers recoiled and she lost it once more on the poor sheets. She never knew any pain to be so bad.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng-ah, uhm, Nurse Caitlin, can you please change Miss Dupain-Cheng’s sheets?”

A couple of unknown faces ushered into the room as they pulled the covers from her exposing her bare legs. In a matter of minutes, the old sheets were gone and in their place, pristine white was covering her once more. This time, a small trash can sat in her lap as well.

“Now that you’re taken care of, do you mind if I do a little exam Miss Dupain-Cheng?”

Her head movements were slow, but she managed a small nod without upchucking again. The doctor produced a small flashlight from his lab pocket. He asked her to follow the light which proved to be harder than she imagined. After all, every sudden movement only made her feel worse.

“Well, I’d say you’re quite lucky Miss Dupain-Cheng. You took a full hit from Superboy himself and managed to scrape by with only a minor concussion.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it luck. Superboy should learn to pull the brakes a little sooner.”

Marinette almost wanted to giggle. Of course Damian was still his brooding self, even in a hospital. She just couldn’t remember why Jon bumped into her in the first place?

“Well, I’d call it luck that the bullet didn’t ricochet. It’s good to know that Superboy can both deflect and stop them when he wants.”

The shock coursed through her as the sound of the gunshot echoed in her ears. Gods, Jon must’ve used his superspeed to get from the top of the steps to where she was. She really did take a full force hit from him, but not on purpose, he was just trying to get her out of the gun’s aim.

“Did Luthor really want to win that badly?”

A silence made its way throughout the room as the three shared a look that she couldn’t quite decipher.

“I think I should leave you to it. I’ll send the boy back in. Miss Dupain-Cheng, I’ll only hold you overnight to make sure your concussion doesn’t worsen, but other than that, you should be cleared to go home tomorrow. I’ll check in later.”

Without another word, he left the silent room. Marinette glanced back and forth slowly between Damian and Chloe. Neither seemed eager to answer her question.

“Maribug! I’m so glad you’re awake now! I was so worried! I mean all I heard was the gunshot! I didn’t even see Jon move and when I finished blinking you were lying at the bottom of the courthouse steps knocked out cold.”

Adrien flung himself into her despite Damian’s warnings. Between the noise and the sudden movement, Marinette used all her strength to push Adrien aside as she flung her head into the trash can. At this rate she was confident that she had nothing left in her stomach.

“Oh my Gods, I’m so sorry Mari. I totally blanked on the whole concussion thing. Are you really that dizzy?”

A sickening smack echoed through the room as Chloe withdrew her hand leaving a pouting Adrien.

“Thank you. I couldn’t exactly move fast enough to do it myself.”

Chloe mock bowed to her, a small smile dancing on her lips.

“But seriously Dupain-Cheng, can you stop doing this to all of us? After this, no more hospitals trips, no more near death scares, no more picking fights with supervillains.”

Her chuckle was weak, it didn’t even meet her eyes. They all seemed to be wearing similar expressions as Marinette glanced over the room. She wasn’t sure exactly what to say to that. It’s not like she purposely tried to make their senior year difficult. Part of her knew it was just a joke, they were just worried. But the other part was a bit ticked that there could be a little jab in the joke.

They only sat in silence for a few minutes more before Chloe and Adrien stepped out claiming to go update the others. For the first time all day, it was finally just her and Damian. He kept his eyes glued on where their hands sat intertwined.

“Damian, I’m sorry. I knew better than to let my guard down, please don’t be upset with Jon-”

“I’m not.”

She recoiled back at the curtness of the response. Was he upset with her?

“Damian, it’s just a concussion, there’s no need to be upset-”

“It’s not about the concussion Marinette!”

A sharp pain slammed into her head at the sound of him raising her voice. He mumbled a quiet apology as he waited for it to subside.

“Then what is it Damian? You’re more brooding than usual on a day we should be celebrating.”

“Why don’t you want to marry me?” 

“Excuse me?” Marinette stared down in shock at the single tear forming in his eye. “What makes you think that?”

“I heard you talking to Chloe the other day and you told her that you would say yes but always resent me for using you as a publicity stunt. Do you really think I would do that to you? I love you Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I wasn’t going to propose during the trials, that’s not what you would’ve wanted and any time I tried to talk about it, you ran.”

Marinette felt tears of her own forming.

“Oh Gods no, mon amour, I really really want to marry you. I was just worried that everyone would get to us and I didn’t care how bad things got, I still wanted to marry you. I just wanted to make sure it was between us not the world.”

There was a momentary pause before she slowly leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

“I love you Damian Al Ghul Wayne.”

“So you’ll marry me?”

Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of the small diamond in Damian’s hand.

“Are you asking me right now?”

He nodded, raising the ring a little higher so that she could admire it better.

“I wanted to do it the minute you left the courtroom but I guess I can never plan things out huh? Whether it’s my brothers, our roommates, Jon, or even Lex Luthor, someone is always going to get in the way. But it doesn’t matter the time or place because no matter when or where, nothing could change the way I feel about you. I love you Marinette. Please marry me.”

Marinette couldn’t trust herself to speak as she slowly nodded, the tears pouring down her face.

“Oh Gods, okay, oh my god, this is really happening. Yes, Damian, of course I’ll marry you.”

Her lips slammed into his, not even giving him the chance to slip the ring on. It was sloppy and a little painful, but she couldn’t imagine it any other way. This was her soulmate, her best friend, and her roommate.

It was the longest year, but she wouldn’t change a thing. It was crazy what a roommate ad had brought and as she slipped on the ring, she couldn’t be more thankful for everything.


	32. Epilogue

Adrien gripped tightly to Jon’s nieces’ hand as they worked their way through the crowded corridor to take their seat at the front of the room. Of course this weekend would be the one where Conner finally accepted their offer to babysit Martha for him and Lophi to have some alone time.

“Uncle Adri, where is Uncle Jon? I’m bored already.”

Adrien lifted her into his lap, his smile tiring with every movement.

“Well, he’s with his friend Damian. They’re getting ready for Damian’s wedding to my friend Marinette. You remember Marinette and Damian?”

The small girl nodded enthusiastically as her eyes glazed over.

“Uncle Adri, can you tell me how Mari and Dami met again? Uncle Jon tells me all the time and it’s my favoritest story.”

Adrien knew those eyes were dangerous. They were the ones you couldn’t say no to. Jon planned this all too well when he sent them ahead to secure a seat.

“Okay okay, well, Marinette and Damian are soulmates. They met through their soulmate bond once the both turned 18 and became best friends. After a few years, they finally met in person and when they figured out who the other one was, they fell deeply in love. Now, we’re here.”

“But how did they meet? You’re leaving out the best part of the story!”

“Well, they were young, in love, and” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, trying to think how Jon would word it if he were here. Certainty he wouldn’t tell her all the cut throat and private moments right. No, Jon would just say, “they were roommates.”

“Oh my god, they were roommates.”

Martha’s eyes expanded to an inhuman size as she fell backwards squealing at the top of her lungs. Adrien sent apology waves to the people closest to them as he tried to pull her back into a sitting position.

“Martha, are you giving your Uncle Adrien a hard time?”

Instantly she went silent as she shook her head dutifully, the devilish smirk still sitting on her face. Adrien thanked Jon silently as he pressed a brief kiss to his cheek.

“Does this mean they’re about ready to start?”

Jon nodded as he took a step backward into his spot by the altar.

“Now watch closely Martha, here comes the most magical part.”

Jon sent the two of them a wink as the music began to float down the aisle. Damian came down first, offering small waves to familiar faces and doing his best to ignore his brothers as they called out. Chloe followed soon after, her face a mixture of pride and joy as she took her spot on the opposite side of the altar.

The music hit its crescendo as the preacher motioned for the crowd to rise. A murmur of excitement rippled through the room and Adrien couldn't help but dab the small tear that had began to form.

“Woah, is that Mr. Bruce with Mari? She looks like a princess!”

Adrien nodded in agreement. When Marinette had first met Bruce Wayne, he had fallen in love with her instantly. Jason told him that it must have something to do with the fact that she was a dark haired, blue eyed orphan. Apparently he had a thing for those. The day Marinette asked him to walk her down the aisle, well, it was the first time Adrien had seen the man cry.

And evidently not the last. As he did his best to cover it with an ear splitting smile (another first for the man), even Adrien could pick up on the small tears trailing down his face. They paused a step below the altar where Marinette stood as tall as she could on the tip of her toes, placing a small kiss on his cheek.

To his disbelief, Martha sat through the entire ceremony, her eyes glued to Marinette. When Damian leaned in for the kiss, Adrien had to offer his tissue to the smaller girl who was crying harder than he was.

“They’re so much love! Uncle Adri, can’t you feel the love? I can’t wait to marry my soulmate.”

Adrien chuckled as he patted her head, his eyes glancing over to where Jon stood. Maybe they weren’t soulmates, but they were just as much in love. His heart flipped as Jon sent him a small wink before following the happy couple down the aisle with Chloe by his side. He wanted to tell Martha that you didn’t have to be soulmates to be in love, but that was a conversation for when she was older.

So instead, he let her enjoy the moment.

A million thoughts and emotions flooded the silence as the doors shut, leaving the scattered excitement and hushed tones room to grow.

Gripping Matha’s hand, Adrien nodded to Damian’s family as they all slowly stood, using the commotion to slip out the side door. Taking off in a slight sprint, they made it to the back of the church just in the nick of time.

Marinette had changed from her ballgown to a simple white romper, Damian simply switched out his suit jacket for suspenders.

“Tt, it took you all long enough. You’re lucky I couldn’t convince her to take off without saying goodbye.”

Adrien rolled his eyes as he handed Martha to Jon before pulling a reluctant Damian into a hug.

“My princess would never leave me without saying goodbye, right Mari?” Jason cocked his head to the side using the best trick Adrien could have ever taught him, the puppy dog eyes.

“You’re an idiot.” Marinette’s giggle echoed as she engulfed him in a hug as well. 

“Adrien, unhand me. It’s only two weeks, you act as though we will be gone for the rest of your life.”

“You’re ridiculous Damikins, utterly ridiculous.” Damian scowled at the name Chloe had settled on for him. “It is for the rest of our lives. I mean, you both graced us with your presence for one last year, but the moment your plane touches down from your little honeymoon, the four of us will never be roommates again.”

Marinette pulled back from Jason, small tears forming in the corners of her eyes. 

“But you know I’ll always visit you two! We can all get houses together! Not being roommates doesn’t mean it’ll all change, right?”

Chloe shook her head, biting back tears of her own as she lunged forward, wrapping Marinette as tightly as she could. Adrien and Damian shared a look before they both (one more reluctant than the other) joined in.

A faint click could be heard followed by some mischievous snickers, but it didn’t matter to the four of them. Not in that moment at least. All too quickly, the hug ended and the newly wedded couple was being shoved into the limo that awaited them.

“No reception? Sneaking off into the night for a honeymoon? Oh, how french.” Dick dramatically swooned into Stephanie’s arms, only to earn a bop on the head from Tim.

“You idiot, french weddings have receptions too ya know?”

Dick straightened up, rubbing his head with a frown.

“I just really wanted to say that ever since I met her!”

Adrien and Chloe shared a look before bursting into laughter. No one knew what was in store the day that David had left them with a vacant room, and looking back, no one would have guessed how much could’ve happened in just half a year.

But one thing was certain.

No matter the hurt, the tears, or the fear, none of it could outweigh how full their hearts felt today.

It’s amazing the stories that can come from roommates.


End file.
